Super Couple Love Note Show
by Mockingbird Julia
Summary: Serena enters her and Darien in the popular game show Super Couple Love Note Show, only to discover they're not exactly a couple anymore.
1. Chapter 1

Serena couldn't wait to rip open the letter from the studio, but she made herself hurry up the stairs to the third floor apartment she shared with Mina. She hadn't been this anxious since she'd opened the letter accepting her to university for the next fall, but this time she wasn't scared as well.

She burst into the apartment to find it empty, as usual for the time of afternoon when Mina was at her job at the boutique. Serena took a bouncy seat onto the sofa, giggling and sifting through the mail.

"My letter from the Super Couple Love Note Show studio," she said with a smile, passing on it to see the next envelope. "Phone bill. Ugh. Letter from Sammy. Another ..." She frowned, looking at the envelope identical to hers from the TV studio. "Another letter from Love Note? For Mina?"

She looked around the small apartment that was too warm in the early summer heat, making sure her roommate was indeed gone. "Mina never told me she was trying out for the show, too. I wonder who with. Probably Andrew." She shrugged, setting the other mail aside to open her own. "Darien and I can take them. We can take on anyone."

Her fingers flew over the seal and pulled out the letter inside, a smile coming to her lips as she saw the letterhead's pink double heart logo. "'Dear Serena Tsukino and Darien Chiba,'" she read aloud, unable to not sigh dreamily at the combination, "'congratulations, your love letter submission has won you a spot on the next Super Couple Love Note Show being filled in two weeks.'"

"Yes!" She leaped to her feet and gave a squeal that made Mrs. Tamaki upstairs pound her cane on the ceiling. "Sorry, Mrs. Tamaki!"

Her fingers tightened on the letter as Serena sat back down on the sofa. She read on, smile plastered on her face. "'You and six other lucky couples will be competing for $50,000 and assorted other glamorous prizes. This will be a competition testing your athletic abilities and resourcefulness as well as your compatibility and dedication as a super couple. Please complete the enclosed forms and send them to our contestant liaison department. We look forward to seeing you in two weeks. May the best couple win.'" She wiggled on the sofa, suppressing a squeal. "We're in! Oh, this is so perfect for us!"

Again Mrs. Tamaki's cane from upstairs.

"Hey, what's all the hollering about?" Mina said as she walked in the front door and saw Serena on the sofa. "I heard you all the way down the hall."

Serena got to her feet and waved the letter. "Darien and I got on the Super Couple Love Note Show!"

"Ooh, really? Show me." Mina dropped her bag on the sofa and took a closer look at the acceptance letter Serena bobbled before her face. "Hey, congratulations, Serena!"

Serena put her hands on her hips, a wry smile twisting her lips. "You didn't tell me you tried out, too, Mina. Who?"

Mina shrugged, smiling and blushing as she spied the letter on the sofa. "Andrew. As friends," she added quickly as Serena arched a suggestive eyebrow. "I need the tuition money."

"You were able to write a good enough love letter about Andrew to get you onto the show, but you expect me to believe you're just friends? Not likely, Mina."

The other blonde woman shrugged, smiling more. "It was easy to write."

"Ha! I knew it," Serena said, watching Mina open the letter.

"If only he did," Mina mumbled, her eyes moving across the studio stationery, a smile growing on her lips. "We're in, too! Serena, we're going, too!"

This time the cane was followed by a "Hush down there!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Tamaki!" Serena and Mina chorused. They looked to each other.

"Darien's probably with Andrew now at the coffee shop," Serena said. "Let's go tell them."

* * *

The Daily Grind coffee shop was six blocks away from the apartment building, on one of Tokyo's less traveled streets, a perfect spot for meeting, as it was close to the university Serena was to attend that fall, and not too far from the medical building where Darien was doing most of his labs that summer and into the next semester with classes.

The shop traffic was thinning as Serena and Mina entered, the crowd heading out to early evening events farther downtown. They found Darien and Andrew in the usual booth, Darien's back to them. Serena smoothed her pink skirt and crept up behind him, planting a soft kiss on the nape of his neck, one of her favorite spots.

"Hi, handsome," she said in a low voice as he turned to see her, grinning at the scent of sunflowers pervading her kiss.

"Hi, Serena." He glanced to Mina as she reached the table. He stood up and let Serena slide into the booth.

"Hi, Mina," Andrew said, smiling and standing to let her take a seat on the booth bench. He looked from her to Serena, wondering at their giggling faces, and then to Darien. "Something's up, Chiba."

Darien nodded. He set his arm along the back of the booth, feeling Serena move closer. "What's up?"

She looked up at him, watching the inquisitiveness in his eyes. "You remember the Super Couple Love Note Show we saw a few weeks ago? When Rei was over with that guy -- Chad -- from the temple."

He nodded slowly, signaling to a server. "What about it? Did they cancel that hokey show?"

Serena gave him a mock shove, which he absorbed, grinning wider as he drank the last of his coffee. "No, Darien, we got accepted onto it! We're going to be on the next season!"

"What?" He gulped the swallow and looked to her. "_Accepted_?"

She pulled out the letter and showed it to him. He read it slowly several times as she smiled at Mina.

Andrew chuckled, pointing at Darien. "Good timing, eh, Chiba?"

"Shut up, Andrew," Darien mumbled, eyes on the letter.

Mina frowned at them both. "What's he so grumpy about?"

Andrew sighed, and then stood up, nodding to Mina. "Let's go find a table to ourselves, what do you say?"

Mina smiled as Serena gave her a nod.

"Sure. Hey, good luck with Mr. Grumpypants here," she said, following Andrew across the shop.

Serena turned to Darien, who'd grown oddly quiet. "You're not upset about it, are you, Darien? Don't you remember? Last White Day? You said it was okay then."

He nodded as the server came up to their table. "The usual?" he asked Serena.

She nodded, uneasiness slipping over her.

"A double mocha iced with extra cream," he told the server, "and another coffee."

Serena watched the woman leave, and then put her hand on Darien's arm on the table, her fingers pressing into his bare skin. "You said it was okay."

He nodded, sighing. "I remember now, Serena."

She tried to laugh. "You don't sound too happy, Darien."

He looked to her for a long moment, finally smiling a bit at her eager face. "Listen, Serena, I think --"

"Don't," she said, voice dropping, smile disappearing completely. "I don't want to hear anything bad."

He took her hand in his, looking to the small fingers in his palm, feeling them nervous in his grip. "You have your first year of college coming up this fall, and you need to concentrate on that."

"Stop right there," she said stoutly. "If you're going to lecture me about this show distracting me from my studies, you're wrong." Her fingers tightened in his. "It's only for the summer, and if we win it could help pay for our tuition."

He nodded, but not in agreement. "That's all fine, but I was concentrating on your first semester, Serena. College is a big step, a lot to keep in focus. I was thinking maybe we should cool it for a while. We'll both be busy, and --"

Her hand jerked in his, eyes widening. "You're breaking up with me?"

He looked around at the other people at the few tables occupied, avoiding looking at Andrew and Mina. "Not for good; just kind of take it easy for a while, Serena. There'll be a lot of new people in your life, and you might think twice about us." He cleared his throat. "It happens."

She shook her head, trying to pull her hand away, but he only held it firmer. "It won't happen to us."

He smiled at the pout she tried to keep from her lips. "We'll still be friends, Serena. Just not as tight, not a couple."

"But I want to be a couple, Darien," she said softly. She looked to his empty coffee cup. "Have you met someone else? Is that the real reason why?"

"No. No one else." He tapped the letter with his finger. "I don't think this would be such a good idea."

She looked to it, frowning at the words there. "Why break up now? We'd have all summer together before school started."

He nodded slowly. "I didn't want to do it just before school started. You've got enough new stuff going on this fall, and breaking up then would be harder."

She sat back in the booth, feeling his hand rest with hers on his thigh. "Why at all, Darien?"

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "We'd still be friends, Serena. We could still hang out, but just take it easy for a while."

She shook her head, looking up as he remained near. "Would we get back together, for real, more than friends?"

"I guess, if you still want to later." He shrugged. "Let's give it until next Christmas, and --"

"Christmas!" she said as the server brought their order and gave them an odd look before leaving. "That's so far away, Darien."

"Hey, you can still call me and tell me anything, Serena," he said gently, guilt hinting his tone. "We'll break-up now, just be friends, and you'll transition into college, and then we'll see. Nothing permanent. It'll be better."

"I don't see how it can be better if were apart, Darien," she murmured, looking without interest at her coffee mounded with whipped cream.

"Do you know how hard it would be to manage new classes, new instructors, a horde of new classmates, and a relationship?" He shook his head. "I've seen a lot of couples break-up and absolutely hate each other because they're so stressed about everything. Or they drop out of classes, or both."

She nodded, fighting the tears that threatened her eyes. She swallowed and took a deep breath. "I can't stop you from breaking-up with me, Darien, but I think it's wrong." She focused on the letter, a few of the words catching her eye. "Well," she said, refusing to cry, "if we're truly just friends, and it's only temporary, then there'd be no harm in still doing this."

He looked from her to the letter, shaking his head. "I don't think so, Serena."

"Why not? If we're only friends, then we're only friends." She looked to Andrew and Mina, their heads leaning over the letter on the table before them. "Mina and Andrew are just friends, and they're entering the show together."

Darien's attention shot to the other couple. "I don't know, Serena..."

"Why not?" She attempted a smile, trying to accept his ideology. "I've seen other people who were friends enter. We can fake being a couple for a few weeks, can't we? Just for the cameras."

He studied the wounded expression she was bravely trying to hide with a smile. "I suppose."

"It can still be fun, and you said we could still hang out together." She sighed, smiling more fully up at him. "We could still have some fun together, Darien."

He nodded, grinning at her. "I guess so."

"Good."


	2. Chapter 2

Serena sank deep into the peachy bubble bath that night despite the high temperatures outside, alone with her suds and thoughts of the afternoon. When she'd gotten the acceptance letter from the show, she'd been the happiest girl in the world. Now everything seemed so cloudy.

"Why now?" she murmured into the damp air of the bath room, closing her eyes, making an effort at keeping the tears at bay.

To make matters worse, when she got back to the apartment -- alone, as Mina had went for a walk with Andrew in the park to discuss strategy for the competition -- there was a text from Rei. She'd made the show, too. With Chad.

Serena giggled despite her aching heart. Chad? Good grief.

"Just friends," the text had said. "Big money. See ya there!"

Serena leaned back in the tub and slid down, using both hands to flip her long blonde hair over the porcelain edge behind her. Darien said it was just while she got acquainted with her new school year.

"But Christmas is a million years away," she groaned to no one, the bubbles lapping at her chin. She closed her eyes and sighed. _It would help focus on school_, she reluctantly admitted. There was some truth to what Darien had outlined at the coffee shop. _Maybe he's bored with me_, she mused, resting her arms on both sides of the tub, sending little drips down to the tile flooring. After all, she was fresh out of high school and he was around more sophisticated college students all day.

Her thoughts turned to the Luna Pen, but she quickly discarded that idea. While fun, she was trying to be as normal as possible. The Luna Pen made cheating a little too easy.

Her cell phone rang, and Serena flinched, yelping as she made a quick slip into the tub farther. She wiped a sudsy hand off on the towel lying to the side of the tub and fumbled for the phone just barely within reach on her folded skirt and blouse.

"Hello," she said, wiping away a few bubbles from the phone.

"Hi, Serena." Darien's voice was warm and welcome over the line. "Not too mad, are you?"

She sighed and closed her eyes momentarily. "Blistering mad, Darien."

He chuckled. "Well, it's for the best, and I think it'll be good to get you established at school, and then we'll see."

She frowned, lifting her leg to prop one bubble-covered foot on the tub's edge. "Want to know what I'm wearing?" she asked with a coy smile.

"Serena..."

"Bubbles," she said as sweetly as she could. "Nothing but bubbles, Darien."

There was a pause, and then he said: "Hmm, I kind of thought Ami would be in bubbles."

"Darien!" Her fingers wrapped tighter around the phone.

"Just kidding, Serena. Hey, I called the studio, and I think I can arrange my labs for the next few weeks around the shooting schedule, so it might not be a problem," he said. "Are you sure you still want to do this? Together?"

"Yes, I'm very sure." She wiggled her toes, sighing. "Did you tell them we're not a real couple?"

"No, but Andrew knows, so I guess Mina will know. They're not a real couple, either, so I guess there's no blackmail there." He cleared his throat. "I hear Rei and Chad made it, too. Didn't see that coming."

The water was cooling and Serena was suddenly anxious to get out. She sat straighter, attempting a more confident tone in her voice. "I think they're just a team, not a couple."

"Yeah, I suppose."

She stood up, sending the sound of dripping water over the line. "Well, I'm getting dressed now, Darien, so I should hang up."

"Oh, well ... okay."

She smiled at the slight surprise in his tone. "We should talk about our strategy, too, for the show."

"I'm not going to have much free time, Serena," he said. "I'm trying to cram more of my labs into the weeks before filming starts."

At first she wanted to beg him to squeeze in some extra hours for her, but she did her best to sound more tolerant. "I see. I guess that's best. Well, okay."

"Maybe this weekend? Lunch?"

She stepped onto the rug and reached for the large yellow towel, smiling. "Sure. Sounds great, Darien."

She clicked the phone off after he said goodbye, feeling a little guilty at having ended the call abruptly. It wasn't quite as hard as she thought it had been.

Maybe he was right about a temporary break-up.

* * *

"What time is it?" the host yelled at the audience on the TV set.

"Super couple time!" the studio audience cheered back.

"What time is it?" the host called again, a goofy smile on his otherwise handsome face as he held the microphone out to the audience crowd.

"Love note time!" the audience called back, giggling.

"What does that make it?" he cried with a flourish to the set behind him where seven couples were standing before a large map of Japan.

"Super Couple Love Note Show!"

On the sofa in Serena and Mina's apartment two days later sat three girls, two blondes and a raven-haired one who was currently hogging the popcorn. Serena sat to one side of the sofa, legs bent up beside her in her pink jersey camisole and pajama shorts, her recently painted toenails brilliant fuchsia in the light of a lamp.

"This is the best part of the show," Mina said from the other end of the sofa where she was downing her second root beer float of the evening. "I think Parker Bob is so cute when he's not being corny."

Rei was on the floor between them, painting her toenails a fiery red. "He's corny most of the time."

"I can't believe you're bringing Chad to the show," Serena said, her toe nudging the back of Rei's hair.

Rei made a half-hearted slap at the toe. "It's just for the competition."

"I can't believe you wrote a love letter good enough to get you on the show," Mina said.

Rei shot her a look, and then smiled. "You don't think I've got it in me to write a sappy letter?"

Mina shrugged, slurping the last of her float noisily with a straw. "About Chad? Not much inspiration there."

Rei looked to both of them before her attention went back to the marathon of Super Couple Love Note Show episodes on TV. "Chad wrote it."

"_Chad_ wrote the letter?" both Serena and Mina said in shock.

Rei shrugged lopsidedly as Serena snagged the bowl of popcorn from beside her. "He's been trying to get his inspiration back." She gave them a sour face. "It wasn't about me, you two. Last time I checked, I didn't have '_fairest hair of all maidens of all times'_. Maybe he was thinking of one of you two when he wrote it."

Both Mina and Serena shook their heads.

"Right here," Rei said, pointing to the TV screen, "I know we could do that easily."

All three looked to the screen to see the seven couples lined up, men in their early twenties with their partners on their backs piggyback style, getting ready to run an outdoor obstacle course. Parker Bob did his countdown, and shot the starter pistol, and the couples took off at an ungainly pace around the first set of garishly painted cones.

Serena, Mina, and Rei watched the couples dodge the cones and reach the six foot high wall that the men were to climb with the women still on their backs.

"I don't know," Mina said, looking down at her empty glass still sudsed with ice cream and soda. "Maybe I shouldn't be eating so much."

Serena put on her best smile and waved a hand at her, munching on a mouthful of popcorn. "Andrew's strong. He can carry you."

Rei's elbow caught Serena's knee behind her. "You should be going on a diet, Moon pie. Give Darien a fighting chance at carrying your carcass all over the place for seven weeks."

"Hey, I lost two pounds last month!" Serena chirped, holding her soda closer, protectively, as she reached for another handful of popcorn.

"Yeah, well, I think they're back," Rei said, leaning over her last toe to be painted.

Serena looked to Mina, who kept her eyes on the screen as two couples fell into heaps halfway through the obstacle course, girls pitching headlong into the shallow waterway that was part of the challenge. Mina hadn't mentioned Serena's disaster with Darien to Rei, and had promised not to, but Serena wondered if it would accidentally pop up.

Or if Mina would outright tell Rei in the heat of competition some time later. Serena hoped not.

"I hear this year there is a new cosmetics company sponsoring the competition," Mina said as the show cut to a commercial. "And another line of fashion clothes, too. The prizes will be great, even for the challenges."

Rei sighed, looking to the Ipod commercial. "I could so use a new laptop."

"Me, too," Serena added. "Dibs on anything computer-related."

"Ha!" Rei said. "You gotta win it, meatballs. No one is going to hand you the prizes."

Serena flicked popcorn into her dark hair and giggled as Rei picked it out. "Darien and I can win anything together."

"For our second challenge," Parker Bob was saying on TV as the seven exhausted couple stood before him after the obstacle race, "we're going to run the course again -- _backwards_!"

All the contestants groaned.


	3. Chapter 3

Darien wasn't sure how it had happened, especially since they _were_ broken up, but there he sat in one of the department stores in downtown Tokyo as Serena tried on swimsuits for the upcoming show.

He sat on the bench that Saturday before they were to go out for lunch, nestled among the robes, slippers, nighties, and over-sized t-shirts bearing figures like _Hello Kitty_ and _Tinker Bell_ on them, trying to ignore the odd looks he was getting from the other shoppers, mostly young women, that were snickering and using the changing rooms. He looked up as Serena appeared from one. He smiled at the modest baby blue two-piece bathing suit she wore.

"What do you think, Darien?" She turned her backside to him and looked over her shoulder. "Everything in place? I don't want anything hanging out when we're battling for first place."

He knew he was supposed to give a nod or shrug, but the way her eyes sparkled when she spoke, the giggle in her voice when she looked to him -- he grinned and sat back on the bench, looking over her curvy form.

"Looks good."

"It has to be blue -- so does yours, Darien -- because that's our color." She stepped in front of the mirror on the wall between the dressing rooms and pulled at the halter top with its sturdy straps.

"I know, I know, we've already got our blue tank tops, and short, and t-shirts, and everything else." His eyes followed her movements as she tucked in a stray edge of panty at her rear. "I guess it's better than being assigned the color yellow."

"Mina and Andrew have orange." She turned to see her back in the mirror on the wall and pulled at the suit bottoms to cover more of her butt. "Mina says it's tangerine, but it's orange."

"And Rei and Chad?"

"They're Team Purple. The shorts can be different colors, but our tops have to match."

He chuckled. "We can shop forever, Serena, but our tops will never match."

She turned and gave him a playful shove on the shoulder. "Are your flirting with your ex, Darien Chiba?"

He smiled. "You're taking it a little better than I thought you would."

She crossed her arms and studied him, a smile on her lips. "You're still mine, on set, Darien."

He nodded, grinning at her smile, then sat back as she suddenly broke into a semi-launch at him.

"Did I tell you, Darien?" Her eyes were wide with an unspilled secret. "Molly and Melvin got in, too. Can you believe it?"

"Well," he said, scratching the back of his dark hair, thinking the news over, "yeah, I can believe it. They did win something already. They're a good couple."

She nodded, her smile slipping a little. "So are we."

He looked around at the other shoppers, ignoring the guilty eyes she pegged on him. "Are we about done here?"

She scanned the misses department. "I should get a sports bra, too."

"Ugh," he sighed, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, grinning as he looked over her swimsuit with appreciation as she gave herself a final look-over in the mirror. "Does that have to be blue, too?"

She tossed him a smile and went back into the dressing room, long ponytails swinging behind her.

* * *

They decided on a noodle shop for lunch farther into the city, and they found their usual cozy booth and sat down. Darien ordered both their favorite noodle dishes and spring rolls, but when he attempted to order Serena's usual sticky sesame buns, she resisted.

"And a double chocolate shake with extra cream ..." He frowned as Serena shook her head as the waitress stood at their table.

"I just want an iced tea with no sugar, please," she said.

"No?" he repeated as the waitress finished taking their order and left. "Why not? You have a shake and sesame buns every time we eat here."

She sat straighter, smiling. "I want to drop five pounds before the competition starts. Five less pounds you have to carry during the Ultra Challenges."

He shook his head, watching her nod. "You don't have to lose any weight, Serena. You're fine the way you are."

"I really want to win this, Darien," she said, her smile turning sad. "And I really want us back together again. I'm confused. We break-up, but we're still friends?"

"You need to concentrate on --"

"My schooling, I know," she said, eyes dropping to her glass of water where the ice cubes were melting slowly. "How broke-up are we?"

"All the way." He watched a pout reach her lips, pulling at the corners.

"Are you going to see other girls, Darien?"

"No."

She used her straw to sink an ice cube, which popped back to the surface when the straw slipped off. "Can I see other guys?"

The question surprised him. "Well, yes. Yes, of course; I mean, we _are_ broken up." He lowered his head, trying to see her face more clearly. "Do you have someone in mind?"

Her eyes snapped to his, flashing blue at him. "Of course not, Darien."

He cleared his throat as the waitress brought their tea and cola and waited for her to leave before speaking. "Because it would sort of defeat the purpose of breaking up if you decided to see someone else."

She lifted an eyebrow at him as she shook a packet of artificial sweetener into the tea. "You break-up with me for my own good, but I can't see anyone else?"

"No." He began to wonder at his own reasoning. It had sounded like a wise decision two weeks ago. "I thought it would help you focus on school if we weren't an issue. But if you want to see some other guy," he gestured without meaning, frowning, "that would sort of defeat the point. Then you'd be concentrating on him and not school."

"I can do two things at once, Darien," she said lowly in mock seriousness. "Just the other day at the donut shop I mixed the chocolate frosting while shaking powdered sugar on an iced donut."

He shook his head, grinning at her reference to her job at the small bakery uptown. "Okay, okay. You're a very talented girl, Serena."

She sighed. "I still think we're better together than separate. Don't you miss me?" Her face softened as she looked to him. "Even just a little?"

His eyes fell to her lips, the way her eyes raised to his in vulnerable honesty when she felt so low. He sighed. This time _he_ had caused her to feel dejected. "Yes. It's hard for me too, Serena, but I've got a full load of classes next semester, and I've got to pass my mid-terms or I'll have wasted the last two years of classes. I guess it's selfish on my part, too, but I can't lose this opportunity." He smiled, hoping to lift her spirits. "Besides, we've got the show to do. When I called to get the schedule for my labs they gave me a rundown on the tapings."

She smiled and sat forward, her knee bumping his under the table, a conspiratorial glint in her eyes. "What is it?"

"Five weeks of taping, with two shows being taped each week," he said, pleased at her eagerness. "Then a week of elimination rounds, and then the finale. It's going to be grueling, Serena. Are you sure you're up for this?"

She nodded, giving him a peace sign and a smile. "Ganbare!"

He smiled back. "Then you'd better get the sesame buns, Serena. You'll need your strength."


	4. Wild Card

Darien and Serena entered the studio early that morning two weeks later where the Super Couple Love Note Show was filmed. It had been a long two weeks as Darien tried to cram in all the lab hours he could for summer classes program, and Serena tried not to cram anything sweeter than sugar-free Jello into her mouth.

They passed through the doors marked 'Contestant Entrance' and followed the signs pointing to Studio B, where they found the contestants had already gathered. The other girls and guys looked suspiciously back at them, a few whispering to their partners. Serena felt a little more comfortable when she saw familiar faces in Mina, Andrew, Chad, Rei, Molly, and Melvin.

She looked around at the lights and cameras and then to the studio set where the map of Japan hung at the back of the filming stage before the studio audience stands where she knew some of the mini challenges would take place. It was brightly lit, but quieter without the game show's constant theme music as she'd heard on TV at and Mina's apartment.

Darien took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as she looked to him. "Good luck to us," he said in a low tone.

She smiled back, and stood up tiptoe to give him a quick kiss on the lips, not lingering despite the urge to wrap her arms around his neck and not let go. "For luck."

He nodded, grin growing, and they joined the couples already standing in a semi-circle before the producer at the center of the stage.

"Hello, hello," the middle-aged man said to them, smiling, his hand at one ear where a headset was plugged into the ear, a clipboard in his other hand. "Welcome to Super Couple Love Note Show! Congratulations to all of you, and we hope you have a safe and enjoyable seven weeks with us. I am Migato, producer. First we'll have you introduce yourselves, and then we'll go over the basics of how Super Couple works behind the scenes."

He turned to where a couple was dressed in matching black shorts and red t-shirts. He looked to his clipboard and then smiled at the couple.

"Team Red, please introduce yourself!"

They stepped forward, she a few inches short than him. He was blond, good-looking in an everyday way, she a strawberry blonde with a high ponytail in a red hair-tie and instant smile that she flashed brighter at Darien.

"My name is Matt, and I'm twenty-two," he said, grabbing the girl's hand as her attention strayed, "and this is Jen --"

"Twenty," she plugged in before he could say her age.

He nodded. "We're from Osaka, and we _are_ the next Super Couple!"

The other couples clapped politely, Serena giving Jen a pointed look as the girl's eyes stayed on Darien for too long.

Beside them Rei and Chad stood in matching raspberry t-shirts, Chad's with the sleeves cut out. Rei took the floor.

"I'm Rei, and this is Chad," she said. Chad raised his arms and smiled at the other couples.

"Rock on, Team Purple!" he called, stepping forward.

Rei rolled her eyes and pulled him back in line by the back of his t-shirt. "We're from Tokyo."

Another round of clapping.

Beside them a couple in matching white tank tops stepped forward. Her long blonde hair was up in a braid, and she gave them all a belittling look as she gestured to her partner. "This is Ryan," she said with a heavy accent, nodding to the well-muscled, brown-haired man beside her who was slightly older. He gave them all a wave. "And I'm Whitney. We're from Kansai, and are engaged." She held out her hand and wiggled her fingers at the other contestants, showing off the modest ring on her finger.

Polite clapping, some for the ring.

Melvin and Molly stepped out of line, both in green t-shirts and shorts, her hand snug in his. "We're Molly and Melvin," she said, blushing a little less bright than her hair, "and we're a proven winning couple." She left off bragging about their previous contest win, and smiled again. "We're just out of high school."

Melvin gave them a blushing smile, and they all clapped.

Darien's hand tightened on Serena's as he pulled her a step out of line, his arm draping over her shoulder. "I'm Darien, student, and this is Serena, who will be a student this fall."

Serena gave a short wave as the other couples clapped, noting Jen's eyes never left Darien.

Beside them a tall woman with long blonde hair stepped out, her hand tucked in that of a very tall man with medium brown hair, both wearing yellow tank tops and navy shorts. "I'm Tiffany, or Tiff," she said with a smile in a voice too loud, "and this is Brad. Team Yellow. Say hi, Brad!"

Brad raised an arm to wave. "Hi."

"We're from Tokyo, too, twenty-one," she said with a hand indicating herself and then him, "and twenty-two!"

A round of applause rippled through the contestants, and Mina and Andrew stepped from the end of line, both in orange t-shirts. "I'm Andrew," he said, one arm on Mina's shoulders, "and this is Mina. Both from Tokyo."

"Very good," Migato said, clapping for a few moments. "Now, here is how we work Super Couple. Every show is made up of three challenges. Two are mini challenges, one for guys, one for girls. The third challenge is Ultra Challenge, for both. The two mini challenges are filmed before a studio audience, usually right here on Studio Stage B," he said, indicating the set behind him, "or at one of our outdoor courses or our man-made lake on the back lot. I'm sure you've seen it in our shows."

The contestants all nodded, with a few exceptions of the guys, who looked a little bewildered on the exact workings of the show.

"The final Ultra Challenge is filmed on location, and sometimes that means you will be traveling. There's not a studio audience for that challenge," he said, "but sometimes there is a following crowd that finds our locations." He smiled. "Groupies!"

The contestants laughed, and he nodded.

"We tape the mini challenges both in one day," Migato continued, "right here. The Ultra Challenge takes a separate full day, and then the footage is edited together to make a complete show episode. We tape two shows per week, so you will be busy! Any questions?"

Whitney raised her hand, the other hand pulling at the cuffs of her too short shorts. "When do we get to meet Parker Bob?"

From one of the curtained sides of the set sprang the mid-thirties black-haired game show host in his standard blue chinos and dark gray t-shirt with the words _Super Couple Love Note_ written in snazzy iridescent letters across his chest.

"Did someone say Parker Bob?!"

A collective squeal and giggle went through the contestant girls, followed by clapping as he skipped up to them and gave a wide wave.

Migato bowed to Parker Bob. "So good to see you made it, Parker Bob. Here are your new contestants."

"My, what a lovely bunch of ladies," Parker Bob said, winking at them all.

Serena laughed along with the rest of the contestants, feeling Darien's hand tighten on her shoulder as Parker Bob nodded to each girl in turn.

Parker Bob rubbed his hands together. "Welcome! This will be fun, and we have great prizes this season. But to make the competition more difficult," he said with a long drawn out pause, sweeping a hand to the curtain side behind him, "we're bringing back Gucci and Varner!"

From behind the curtains came two more contestants, both wearing black tank tops and shorts, the girl doing back flips all the way to where Parker Bob was standing.

She righted herself, flashing the contestants a smile even as her long brunette hair was still swinging out of her face. Beside her Varner, a black-haired man in his mid-twenties, waved, grinning.

"Oh, no," Serena groaned, her face falling as she recognized the couple.

Darien leaned closer to her. "Who are they?"

"Last season's runner-ups," she said.

He frowned. "Uh-oh."

Parker Bob was smiling at the new couple in their matching black shirts. "You all remember Gucci and Varner, don't you?"

A collective groan came from the new contestants.

"Good," Parker Bob said with a chuckle. "They'll be our wild card couple this season."

Gucci and Varner clasped hands and raised their arms together, smiling evilly at the other contestants. "We're Team Black, and we're out to win it this time," Gucci called to them. "You better watch your backs!"

From a few people down the line, Mina looked to Serena and caught her eye.

'_They broke up_,' Mina mouthed to her, and Serena nodded that she understood.

"Now," Parker Bob was saying as the contestants stared back vindictively at Team Black, "everyone to the dressing rooms to get ready for the mini challenges. When you come back out, the studio audience will be here, the cameras will be rolling, and all eyes will be on you!" He waved with a flourish to the other side of the curtained set. "Away you go!"

* * *

**Who is the best Super Couple? **

**_Vote in the poll!_**


	5. Romeo & Juliet Girls Mini

Serena, Rei, and Mina followed the other contestants -- Gucci leading -- into the wings of the stage and to a changing room where they each found a locker with their team's color on the door. An attendant was waiting for them, bowing as they passed.

The young woman smiled at them and waved. "Hello! I'm Nami, your coordinator for the duration of the show. You have a problem, come to me," she said with another short bow. "Change here, if you need to, and I'll come get you for the first mini challenge in five minutes!"

They all murmured a _'Thanks_,' and Nami left out the door.

Serena and Mina looked around at the other contestants. Tiffany had a locker beside Jen, and both girls were reattaching their hair-ties more sturdily in their ponytails. Most eyes were on Gucci, second tallest only to Tiffany. The former runner-up wound her dark hair into a tight ponytail at the back of her head, blue eyes searching out each of them, estimating them coolly.

"This will be so much fun!" Molly chirped as she joined Serena. She pushed her green headband back, squeezing the blonde girl's arm. "I can't believe they brought back last season's second place couple."

Gucci shot a look to the red-haired girl. "We won't be second place this time," she snapped.

Serena bent to retie her shoe laces, eyes on Rei and Mina crowding Molly and her. "She's going to be trouble," she murmured.

Rei nodded as Serena stood up. "She and Varner aren't even together anymore," she said just loud enough for the other three girls to hear as they huddled closer. "Shouldn't they be disqualified?"

Mina giggled. "So you and Chad are a legitimate couple now?"

Rei immediately frowned, rolling her eyes. "Well, when you put it _that_ way, I guess it's okay."

Mina watched a few of the other girls tying shoes and tucking in bra straps. "Are any of you changing clothes?"

"I'm ready," Molly said, cracking her knuckles in soft pops. "Let me at it!"

Serena took a deep breath, sizing up the female members of the Yellow, Red, White, and Black Teams. Tiffany and Whitney were stretching out against a wall and Jen was touching up her hair with spray in her locker mirror. Gucci was leaning her back against her locker, arms folded, eyes studying each of them.

"Good luck, everyone," Serena said to her friends who were also watching Gucci.

The dressing room door opened and Nami stepped in. "Let's go, girls!"

* * *

The studio audience was packed, lights hot overhead of the stage, Parker Bob already telling jokes to warm up the crowd. The map of Japan was lowered to hide the back of the stage area where the mini challenges were to take place.

Serena felt her pulse spike as the eight female contestants entered the stage and were joined by their eight male counterparts.

Parker Bob turned to see them, smiling his usual smile, gesturing to them as the show's theme music died out, his microphone swinging between him and the crowd. "Here they are now!"

A cheer went up from the crowd as the contestants stood in the front of the stage in a semi-circle around Parker Bob.

"Today we have a very romantic mini-challenge," the host said, his face softening in mock dreaminess. "Today is Mini Challenge Romeo and Juliet!"

Darien put a hand to Serena's shoulder as she stood beside him. She looked up, sharing the smile he gave her. "Sounds easy," he said lowly.

She nodded.

Parker Bob looked to his cue cards and nodded, smiling. "We all know how Romeo and Juliet ended, but we've made a few changes. First up," he said, gesturing to the map of Japan as the wallboard began to rise, "is girls mini challenge!"

Behind the raised map, the set showed a forty foot tower painted to resemble an ivy and rose-laden trellis, with a balcony wrapping around the top. Below were eight wicker baskets resembling bike baskets, harnesses hung from each.

Serena heard Darien chuckle, his fingers pressing lightly on her shoulder as Parker Bob raised a hand to the clapping audience before he turned to the couples.

"For this challenge," Parker Bob began, "we will see how well you work together as possible super couples. Girls, you will strap your guy into a basket at his back, and then climb the ladder to the tower where you will find a table. On that table will be several objects," he said with a wink at the audience. "Your challenge is to get as many objects dropped into your guy's basket in sixty seconds. Only completed drops will count." He grinned at the camera. "Then we will see how well you aim, girls. Okay? Go!"

There was a rush to the baskets, a fumbling of tangled canvas straps and elbowing. Serena grabbed a strap and basket and turned to Darien, who was already slinging the longest strap over his neck.

"What are we dropping?" she wondered aloud, reaching around him with a smile to fasten the second strap at his waist.

"Something messy, I'm sure," he said as she pressed the Velcro tabs together.

"Too tight?" she asked.

"No. Now get up there and let's win this, Serena."

She smiled wider and dashed for the ladder where Tiffany and Whitney were already halfway up.

"Go, go, go!" Rei cried from behind her as Serena took the first few rungs.

"I'm going!"

Serena missed a step, nearly kicking Rei in the face as her shoe slipped, and muttered a '_Sorry_!' before scrambling up the ladder.

Once at the top the girls found a baker's rack filled from top to bottom with trays of cream pies. A combined squeal of glee and groans came from the girls as they all grabbed pies, just as a collective ripple of laughter came from the audience.

"Oh, no!" Mina cried.

Serena had just gotten to the edge of the balcony when she saw what Mina was worried about. She looked down to see all eight guys with baskets were now blindfolded with team color scarves.

"Mel-vin!" Molly's voice broke out.

Serena found Darien and called to him. He held up his arms, following her voice, which was soon joined by a garbled chorus of every other male contestant's names, too.

The first pie was dropped by Whitney, right on Ryan's dark hair. He flinched and moved closer to the tower.

"Chad! Here! Chad! Here!" Rei was screaming nonstop, pie poised over the balcony edge, following his movements below.

"Darien! Darien!" Serena's rose with the other seven girls calling. He paused under her balcony, and she dropped a pie down the forty foot side.

It landed on his back and slid into the basket behind him. His arms rose higher toward her. "Keep them coming, Serena!"

She smiled and darted back to the rack and grabbed two pies. The crowd roared with laughter as Molly sent a pie into Melvin's green sash-covered glasses.

"Sorry, Melvin!" the girl called.

On the other side of the tower Mina was doing a happy dance after depositing two pies in succession into Andrew's basket, leaving only a slight track of cream down one side of his blond temple.

Serena positioned a pie tin over Darien. "Don't move, Darien!" She let it drop.

One pie more splashed dead center into the Blue Team's basket at his back. Serena let go of another pie, only to have her target move as Varner jostled into Darien, and the pie landed squarely in the Black Team's basket.

"Ugh! No, no!" she cried, hands balled into fists.

Below Darien looked blindly up at her, guessing at what had happened. "Try again, Serena!"

She was already grabbing two more pies, turning just as Jen did, plastering a cream pie meant for Red Team's basket onto Serena's blue tank top. Serena caught her breath, disbelief at Jen's surly glint of a smile.

"Oops," the strawberry-blonde girl said smoothly.

Serena was tempted to shove a pie in the girl's face, but didn't want to waste it. She pushed past Jen and looked over the side of the balcony. "Darien!" He turned his head in her direction. "Darien!"

Beside Darien, Varner nudged his way over.

"She's got a good aim," the Black Team guy said, grinning through a cream-smeared face, looking up as Serena dropped another pie, this one into Team Blue's basket.

Darien gave the unknown voice a threatening look, which was hard to do while blindfolded, and which Varner couldn't see anyway. "Back off."

Varner only grinned wider. "Sweet voice, too." He turned his head in Gucci's direction as she screeched his name.

"Ten seconds!" Parker Bob called out.

The audience counted down with the host as the girls dropped pies with new frenzy.

"... three, two, one! Pies down!" Parker Bob shouted.

The audience whooped while the girls made their slick way down the ladder to where the guys were pulling off their cream-soaked blindfolds. Serena groaned and then laughed when she saw Darien, one side of his face streaked with white, his blue tank top heavy with cream.

He grinned at her, shaking his head at the pie splotched onto her tank top. "What happened to you?"

"Jen." She wiped at the cream mess.

"Kind of a good look on you, actually," he murmured, standing closer as the other contestants evaluated their partners. He used the blue scarf to wipe the cream splattered at her chin.

She raised an eyebrow, taking the scarf from him and using it to remove most of the cream from his shoulders. "You sure we're broken up?"

"Just because we're taking it easy doesn't mean you're still not the cutest cream puff here, Serena," he said with a chuckle, voice low.

She blushed beneath the splats of cream, finishing his shoulders.

"Now, we will count the tins in each basket and see who wins the five points for the girls' mini challenge!" Parker Bob was saying as his assistant score keeper in her multi-colored wig waved to the crowd with her clipboard. "Line up, couples!"

The eight couples lined up, most of the guys still slathered in white, and parker Bob walked along the front, making each guy turn so he could count the pie tins in the sloppy creamed baskets.

"White Team," he said, counting, "three!"

He moved on to Jen and Matt, counting tins in the basket. "Red Team, four!"

Serena stood as still as she could, Darien's sticky fingers clutching hers as the show host named off the number of tins.

"Team Purple," he said, pausing to count tins in Chad's basket, "six!"

"Six?" Serena repeated. "Who knew Chad had such good coordination?"

Parker Bob paused before Serena and Darien turned around so he could count the pie tins.

Serena watched him pick out the messy tins, hoping for seven.

"Team Blue, five!" he called out to the score keeper at the edge of the stage, a safe distance from any stray cream.

Darien grinned at Serena. "Not bad."

She sighed, more disappointed than she thought she'd be. "Not enough, Darien."

"We can't win them all, Serena," he said gently. "Just enough."

They watched as Parker Bob continued counting tins, so far with Team Purple in the lead. He counted the tins in the last basket for Team Black. "Ah," he said grandly, looking to the scorekeeper, "five for Team Black!"

Down the line Rei grabbed Chad's arm and jumped up and down. "Yes! Yes!"

Chad grinned back at her and gave her raised hand a blistering high-five slap.

Parker Bob pointed to Team Purple. "That means Team Purple gets the five points! Go Purple!"

Behind them an electronic scoreboard with each color teams' name lowered as a horn sounded, and Team Purple flashed a '5' on the board.

"Very good, couples," Parker Bob said, nodding to them all. "Now," he said in a more moderate tone to them, "you will have ten minutes to get cleaned up and then we move on to the second mini-challenge of the day, guys challenge. This will be at our lake by the outdoor arena, so get into your swimsuits now!"

Darien draped his arm over Serena's shoulder, throwing Varner a warning look as they left the stage with the other couples and Parker Bob turned back to the audience, his microphone pointing at a woman in the front.

"We didn't win. Only second place," Serena grumbled, finding consolation in the arm around her.

"We got second."

"We tied with Team Black for second, Darien." She sighed as they passed into the backstage hall and to the dressing rooms. "If I hadn't dropped that pie into Varner's basket we --"

"Still would have gotten second," he finished for her. "This is only the first challenge, Serena, and only a mini-challenge. We've got a lot more left."

She nodded, smiling up at him as he picked cream from one of her ponytails.

"Hurry up and get into your suit," he said, licking his fingers, only to make a disagreeable face. "Ugh. It's shaving cream."

Serena giggled and pushed through the door of the women's dressing room. "See you in ten, Darien."

* * *

**_Who's the best Super Couple?_**

**_Poll is up!_**


	6. Romeo & Juliet Guys Mini

Ten minutes later the eight couples were assembled at the one-acre lake behind the studio building. There were several obstacle fields and courses set up with other extra props to the side with the lake half an acre away. Stands ten risers high were set between the two areas, forming a V-shape so the audience could easily move between field and lake.

The filming crew was already in place as the overhead sun beat down in the hot afternoon, making Serena wish she'd brought sun lotion for her and Darien. Before them Parker Bob was already wired with a microphone and clapping before the stands set up at the lake, grinning as the cameras rolled.

Serena pulled at the bottoms of her baby blue two-piece swimsuit, and then looked up at Darien, who was in navy shorts and a tank top. She pointed to the lake where eight team-colored single occupant paddleboats were at the sandy shore.

"Look, Darien. I hope we don't have to do swimming races." Her hands wrapped around his elbow. "I'm not a very good swimmer."

He nodded, eyeing the small island in the center of the lake where a forty foot mock lighthouse was painted in red and white swirls. "Maybe it won't be all swimming."

The contestants hung back until Nami waved them over, her fingers on the headphone hanging at her ear. "Couples! Get ready to enter the beach!"

A moment later Parker Bob waved to them and the couples raced for the beach before the stands. A whoop went up from the audience, whistles and shouts clamoring as four people in the stands raised a long white and yellow banner reading "_Go Gucci and Varner!_" In another section a group of fans were rattling thunder sticks and chanting _"Team White! Team White!"_

Parker Bob calmed the crowned, smiling his signature smile, and motioned for the couples to gather closer.

To Serena and Darien's side Molly was already fastening an elastic strap behind Melvin's head to hold his goggle-glasses in place.

"Okay, couples! Now we see who sinks and who swims," Parker Bob called at them, "in the name of love!"

A cheer went up from the contestants, with even Rei and Mina shouting as if they were hopelessly in love with their partners.

Parker Bob pointed to the lake where six flotation buoys shaped like miniature lighthouses were bobbing at several spots. "In this guys challenge, our guys will tow their lovely ladies in the inner tube behind the paddleboats, collecting the team colored dowels from each of the floating lighthouses to put in your fish basket. You have ten minutes to collect as many buoys as possible, but buoys must only be retrieved by the girls." He winked at them all. "No helping the ladies, guys."

The contestants nodded.

"At ten minutes, a horn will sound," Parker Bob continued, looking to this polychrome-wigged assistant who blew an air horn on cue, "and the guys will race for the shore. The first guy to drop his fish basket in the rainbow barrel with at least two dowels will win for his team. The more dowels, the more extra points for his team!"

The crowd cheered and banged their thunder sticks. Darien looked to Serena, whose face was shifting between worry and anxiety. He clasped her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"We can do this. Not a problem," he told her. She nodded uneasily as Parker Bob Spoke again.

"Okay, couples! Everyone into your team's life vests, and we'll get you on the water!"

The contestants rushed the paddleboats, each team finding their corresponding colored boat, and donning the matching life vests.

"What if you can't swim?" Molly asked from near Serena's paddleboat. She shrugged into her lime green vest as Melvin sorted through the paddleboat back for his.

"You don't have to swim; just stay in the inner tube," Mina told her from down the shore. She zipped up her life vest as Andrew looked on.

"Oh, I hope I don't fall overboard," Molly groaned, turning to help Melvin with his vest zipper.

Serene whisked up the closure on her blue vest, shaded suddenly by Darien from the bright sun that made the sand beneath their bare feet heat. His fingers went to her zipper and snapped the study snap at the top of her vest.

"I guess there's no real strategy for this event," he said, moving a few tendrils of ponytail that caught in the zipper. "Just paddle fast."

She nodded, looking to his life vest, somewhat disappointed it was already snapped. "Get real close to the buoys, Darien. If I fall in it'll slow us down."

He nodded, grinning before ruffling her bangs over her forehead. "Good luck to us."

She nodded back, smiling.

"Teams to your paddle boats!" Parker Bob shouted as two lifeguards took positions at the shoreline and two more in emergency paddleboats marked with big red crosses.

The guys pushed the paddleboats so that they were in the water as the girls positioned the team-colored inner tubes attached by ten foot ropes behind them to the red chalked starting line. From each inner tube hung a spring-closure fish basket attached by a chain.

"Ropes taut?" Parker Bob asked loudly.

"Yes!" came the collective answer as the guys edged the paddleboats into the water.

"Girls into your inner tubes!" Parker Bob shouted.

Serena set her bottom in the inner tube hole and draped her legs and arms over the sides as Darien climbed into the paddleboat in front of her. She pulled the fish basket by its chain and settled it on her stomach. Darien looked to the other teams for a moment, and then back to Serena.

"Flip over," he told her, slightly flushing at the angle presented to him.

She frowned, and then looked back down the shoreline to see how several other teams were arranging themselves.

"Lay on your stomach and face this way, Serena, and you can use your hands better, and not slip through the hole," he explained.

She looked at Rei, who was lying on her stomach on the inner tube behind Chad's paddleboat. "Oh, okay, Darien."

"Starting in ten, nine, eight ..." Parker Bob was counting down with the crowd.

Serena hurriedly plopped onto her stomach on the rubber tube, arms and legs spread out to either side, fish basket crooked by its chain over one arm.

"...six, five, four ..."

"Go Team Blue! Go Purple!" Lita and Ami's voices rose above the counting from the stands. "Go Orange!"

Serena looked to the stands to see Lita and Ami waving fervently. "We've got fans!" she called to Darien. He looked to the stands and waved.

"...two, one, go!" A starter gun shot, and the guys began cycling the paddleboats. The boats inched into the deeper water, tugging at the ropes, slowly moving the girl-straddled inner tubes.

"Go, Darien!" Serena shouted, rocking the rubber tube, trying to help.

"Hang on, Serena!" he called back as the paddleboat ground the inner tube into the shallow water, and then with more ease.

The paddleboats slowly made progress, Teams Blue, Black, and White the first to free the inner tubes from the shore, followed by Orange and Purple.

"Go, Darien, faster!" Serena said, stroking with her arms at the inner tube, as if to help.

"Where to first?" he called back over the incessant splashing noise of the paddle.

She looked around, pointing to the nearest lighthouse buoy. "There!"

He followed her direction, seeing Varner and Gucci nearing the buoy. "Let's head for the farthest one, Serena. We'll be alone, and we'll be closer to the shore when time is short."

"Ooh, good thinking, Darien."

A whoop went up from Team Black as Gucci snagged their first black dowel from the buoy.

Another shout came from Mina as they collected an orange dowel from the opposite side of the lake. Serena smiled as Darien closed the distance to the farthest buoy and turned the paddleboat so the inner tube floated to the side.

"Close enough," she said with a grunt, rising up on her elbows to grab the blue dowel from the lighthouse buoy's basket.

Darien turned to watch her, feet anchored on the boat peddles, ready to reverse. He watched her back angle across the water, hand clutching the plastic handle on the blue rubber tube. Her fingers closed around the blue dowel, and she raised it in triumph.

"Got it! Let's go!"

Darien turned the paddleboat steering bar and set to cycling as Serena stuffed the dowel into their fish basket. She looked up, smiling, and pointed to another lighthouse buoy. "There! No one's there yet!"

Darien headed across the lake to another buoy, hearing Chad's bellow of success as Team Purple collected a dowel. It was followed by more cries of accomplishment across the lake amid the beating of thunder sticks and the clapping crowd on shore.

"Closer, Darien," Serena said as they neared the second buoy, her arm already outstretched as they came within catching distance.

A shriek filled the air, and Serena and Darien looked to a buoy near the island in the middle of the lake where Tiffany was bobbing in the water, overboard. Brad circled the yellow paddleboat back to pick up his fallen partner.

"Yes!" Serena laughed. "That'll slow them down."

Darien turned to watch her reach for the dowel, the swell of water pushing Serena into a collision with the lighthouse buoy.

"Oof," she moaned as the inflatable lighthouse shoved into her face, her hand still reaching for the blue dowel in the basket.

"You all right?" Darien asked, grinning as she shoved away from the buoy, blue dowel in hand.

"Yup. Let's go!"

"Three!" Whitney called out from across the lake. "Ha! Three!"

Serena plunged the dowel into her fish basket and wiped the blonde hair from her face, watching Whitney and Ryan's white paddleboat propel faster to another buoy. "They've got three, Darien. We're behind!"

He grunted at the peddles, quickening their pace. "We'll catch up, Serena. Hang on!"

It was one of the slower high-speed chases on the lake, eight paddleboats towing screaming girls, guys with legs beginning to ache and cramp. The crowd hooted and cheered for their favorites, Parker Bob pretending to direct traffic with a megaphone.

When Darien pulled them close to the next buoy, his face dropped, as did Serena's.

"Our dowel is gone," she said, frowning as they both searched the water around the buoy. "Someone threw out our blue dowel, Darien."

In front of her, he nodded, eyes going to Team Black and then Team Red, both of which had dowels missing from the basket.

"We'll make it up," he said, turning the paddleboat and pushing faster at the peddles.

Serena scowled over the water, her hand on the fish basket as a gleeful shout came from Molly. "It's got to be against the rules."

He grunted as he cycled, the life vest making the overhead sun blazing hot with the exertion, legs beginning to ache with strain. "We can't prove it, Serena. Forget it."

A cry broke out from Mina, and Serena looked to see her waving an orange dowel. "Faster, Darien. Look over there!" She pointed to where two paddleboats were dangerously near to each other, ropes and inner tubes twisted together as Teams Black and White became tangled.

"Ha! I'll bet it was one of them," Serena said, smiling at the other teams' misfortune.

Darien nodded, saving his breath for his legs as he let the paddleboat coast to another buoy. "Is it there, Serena?"

She hung over the side of the rubber tube, hand closing around the blue dowel, unaware of his eyes on the hump of her swimsuit bottoms as she pulled at the dowel. "Yup! Got it!"

Darien grinned as he faced forward again, turning the steering bar as the air horn sounded from the beach. "That's it," he called back to her. "We've got to head in."

She lay flopped over the tube, one hand anchored on the handle at the side, and pulled the fish basket up. "Three, Darien." She looked out across the lake as the other couples, minus Teams Black and White who were still tangled, headed to the shore. "We don't have enough. I think we're tie with someone."

He nodded, legs churning as Andrew and Mina's paddleboat edged up from behind Serena. "I think Team White had three, but they're not going anywhere."

She looked behind them, seeing Andrew intent on his paddling, Mina shouting encouragement from her inner tube. Behind them the red paddleboat was closing in.

"Quicker, Darien! They're catching us!"

He didn't look back, putting all of his energy, which was about gone, into cycling.

At the stands the crowd was on their feet, thunder sticks echoing, cheers and chants nonstop, a few banners waving. Parker Bob was shouting support to all the teams as his assistant used two oversized foam-finger gloves to point to the neon rainbow barrel on the shore.

The blue paddleboat grounded in the sand in the shallow water of the beach, and Darien hopped off and splashed back to gather the basket where Serena was crawling off the inner tube.

"Go! Go, Darien!" she screamed as he dashed to the barrel with their fish basket of blue dowels, her lagging.

Darien beat Andrew by half a step, nearly knocking a slow moving Parker Bob out of the way. The assistant blew the horn twice.

"We're first!" Serena gasped when she caught up with Darien, who was breathing harder, gulping air. He grabbed her hand as Mina ran up to them, looking anxiously into the barrel as Jen and Matt made a beeline for them. Another fish basket into the barrel.

"Ah, so many dowels!" Parker Bob said with a laugh. He patted the barrel. "First team -- Blue Team! Five points!"

A shout went up from the stands, followed by a rattle of thunder sticks and Lita and Ami's chorus of "_Serena and Darien!_"

Darien forgot trying to catch his breath and grabbed Serena around the waist, lifting her off the ground as she squealed, swinging her in a circle with a grin before setting her back down. She smiled, giggling as his arm stayed around her waist and they looked back to Parker Bob.

"And," the host said, drawing out the word, "we have extra points." He pulled the baskets out as Molly, Melvin, Rei, Chad, Tiffany and Brad joined Teams Blue, Orange, and Red.

The rest of the fish baskets were dropped before the host, the guys leaning over and panting.

"Team Blue, three extra points, total eight! Team Orange," Parker Bob said to the crowd, "two points! Team Green, two points! Team Yellow, three points! Team Red, two points! Team Purple, one point!" He looked to where Teams Black and White were still entwined in the lake. "Time limit! No points awarded Team Black and Team White.

Applause went up from the crowd, along with a hiss of boos, and Parker Bob raised his hands, smiling his best smile at them. "Thank you! Thank you, lovely audience!" He turned back to the contestants. "Congratulations to Team Blue! You lead through the Romeo and Juliet mini challenges at eight points total. Team Purple follows in second with six points total through the two mini challenges." He made a quick bow to them as they clapped. "Well done. Tomorrow you have no challenge, but return on Wednesday for the Romeo and Juliet Ultra Challenge. I will see you then!"

Serena breathed a sigh of relief as their host went back to the audience to finish the show, and the contestants waved and made their way back to the studio doors.

"I can't believe we won it," she said with a giggle to Darien, who had wrapped her arm in his. "You must be tired."

"Not so much," he said, legs wobbly from peddling. "Maybe a little. You did great." He grinned at her smile, her hair wet and hanging limp at her back. He glanced to the lake where the paddleboats had finally gotten untangled and were slowly nearing shore, a barrage of female screeching emitting from the black inner tube.

Serena followed his gaze, and then held to his arm tighter as they walked. "Someone is angry."

He nodded, watching her eyes dance in the bright sunlight. "I guess we're a pretty good team."

She sighed. "I guess we are."

* * *

**_Who is the best Super Couple? Vote in the poll!_**

**Standings after Romeo & Juliet Mini Challenges:**

Team Blue (Serena and Darien): 8

Team Purple (Rei and Chad): 6

Team Yellow (Tiffany and Brad): 3

Team Orange (Mina and Andrew): 2

Team Green (Molly and Melvin): 2

Team Red (Jen and Matt): 2

Team White (Whitney and Ryan): 0

Team Black (Gucci and Varner): 0

[If I'm wrong, please let me know. :)]


	7. Fan Base

After the excitement died down that evening, and her giddy energy was spent at being in Darien's arms again -- even with the bulk of their life vests between them -- Serena fell immediately into an exhausted sleep that night.

When she awoke, however, she was more tired than usual, but driven by memories of the day before.

She and Darien were winning, leading by a mere two points, but it was still winning.

She tried not to gloat too much in front of Mina as she readied for work that morning. Mina was a good sport, smiling and waving as she started off to her job at the boutique, promising that Andrew and she would wipe them out of the lead in the Ultra Challenge round.

"Ah, here's our girl from the star couple now!" Mrs. Miyako said, smiling as Serena came through the donut shop's back door into the work room later that morning. The plump woman who opened the shop wiped her powdered sugar hands on her pink apron and gave Serena a bone crushing hug, dodging a ponytail. "Our own celebrity!"

She was surrounded with Mrs. Miyako by Dono the baker, and the occasional delivery boy, Shingo. They all gave her a cheer, making her flush and smile.

"How did you know? We've only had one taping for the show," she said as Mrs. Miyako patted her shoulder repeatedly.

Dono was an aging man with powerful arms and nearly no hair, whose eyes disappeared when he smile, his long white apron usually full of chocolate frosting he 'taste-tested' in the back room. He looked to the woman at Serena's side. "You asked for your schedule to be altered, Serena."

"Oh, yes," she said with a giggle, forgetting the arrangements.

"Well?" Mrs. Miyako's voice raised an octave. "Did you win anything with that handsome fiancé of yours?"

Serena's smile dropped a little, but she forced it back into place. The donut shop owner was always getting _that_ part wrong. "We can't talk about the tapings, Mrs. Miyako."

"Hmm," the woman's plump face pouted, arms crossed over her apron front. "A little?"

"No." Serena's competitive spirit took over. "But we're doing good."

"Oh, I knew it!" Mrs. Miyako cried, then looked to the next larger room as the front door's overhead bell tinkled, announcing a customer's arrival. "Have a pastry, Serena-chan. Keep up your strength!" She disappeared into the next room, her shrill voice greeting the customer.

Serena grabbed her pink apron from off the hook near the back room door as Dono and Shingo grinned at her. The room was small, but contained the baker's main work table, plus another table where Mrs. Miyako decorated special cakes, donuts, and pastries, as well as the industrial dough mixer in the corner and baker's racks filled with trays of already baked, unfinished goodies.

Goodies that needed Serena's attention. It had been a dream job for the summer, adding icings, sprinkles, and sweet fillings to the donuts, but not so dreamy since her decision to forego deserts during the competition. She sighed, looking at all the tubs of chocolate and banana frosting and sweet bean paste. Resistance may be her hardest challenge of all.

She tied her apron around her waist, realizing Shingo was still standing close by, a junior high student who'd always kidded her about getting her ponytails caught in the mixer, to which he always added he'd rescue her, if Darien wasn't around.

"What's the hardest part?" he asked as Dono turned back to kneading a pile of beige dough at his floured table. "Did you have to climb a rope? How about a rope bridge? Did you hurt anyone?"

She made a face at him, pulling a tray of donut buns from a rack. "No one got hurt, Shingo. That's just like something Sammy would ask."

Shingo stood farther back from the table she set the buns on, running a hand through his dark hair. "I'm not a little kid like your brother, Serena. So, what was hardest?"

"Shingo!" Mrs. Miyako called, pushing through the swinging door from the display room. "Delivery to Mr. Yashimoto!"

Shingo nodded and met the woman at a counter running the length of the wall where two pastry boxes waited for delivery.

Serena placed the tray of donuts on the work table and found the hopper of sweet bean paste and strawberry jelly to fill the donut buns, pulling it closer. Of all the varieties of donuts she filled, the strawberry was her favorite. With super-human effort, she arranged another tray lined with the shop's signature pastel pink and yellowed-checked papers, refusing to sample the fillings, as was her custom. She took two buns and gently inserted their sides into the hopper feed injectors and pushed down the levers beneath each jet, squeezing the fillings into the plain donuts.

She set them on the paper lining of the tray, and filled several more before the tinkling of the shop's door bell was heard, and Mrs. Miyako went out to see to the customer. Serena licked her finger when a blop of strawberry jam squirted onto it.

"Just a little sweet," she told herself, guilt creeping up on her as the jam hit her taste buds.

"Serena!" Mrs. Miyako said as she returned to the back work room, making Serena swallow the jam quickly before she had fully appreciated it. "A fan outside to see you."

Serena's eyes opened wider. "A fan? Are you sure?"

The shop owner nodded, cheeks shaking as her hands rested on her hips. "He looks familiar, but I don't know where I've seen him. Good-looking, too. I don't think he's been here before."

Serena frowned. "You've seen Darien." She set the donuts on the tray and wiped her hands on a nearby shop towel before going out to the front of the store. "Probably Sammy and his friends trying to get free sweets," she muttered to herself.

The shop front was small, a mere slot among many shops on the Tokyo sidewalk that offered ready-made eats and sit-down dining fare. The counter and display cases took up most of the room against the walls, and Mrs. Miyako did a healthy business, especially on weekends and during holidays, with Golden Week being her busiest.

Serena stopped behind the counter, looking up at the man who stood there, studying his short black hair and eyes that were somewhere between hazel and green for a moment before recognizing him.

"Hi, Serena," Varner said, grinning at her surprise. "Or should I say Mrs. Team Blue?"

"Oh, no," she said, giggling as he smiled. "Varner, is it?"

"Yes." He looked around at the display cases behind her. "Pretty tempting, all these goodies when you're in training." His eyes dropped over her, bringing a chuckle from him. "How do you stay so slender with walls of donuts? It'd be so easy to gobble them all up."

"Oh, yes," she said, blushing a little, looking behind her to see Mrs. Miyako's short form peeking through the swinging door's lone window. She looked back to Varner. "Is Gucci here, too?"

His grin turned crooked at the mention of the brunette girl. "No, she's elsewhere. Just me." He looked down at the glass counter, eyes sifting among the trays of filled buns and cake donuts glazed with sugar and syrups. "What's best here? What's your favorite, Serena?"

"Me? Well," she looked down to the counter, thoughts fluttering at his presence, "I'd say the blueberry cake donuts are good, and a lot of people like the lemon custard filled."

She pointed to the separate trays of donuts and he hovered over the counter to examine them better.

He nodded. "They do look delicious. I'll take one of each." He looked up and smiled at her. "Not too many. Don't want to be too slow for the Ultra Challenge tomorrow."

She slid open the glass door behind the counter. "You should take a lot, Varner. Some for Gucci, too. You'll need your energy."

He laughed, shaking his head. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

She only smiled and used a sheet of wax paper to handle the donuts and set them in a white bakery bag. "I haven't seen you here before." She debated asking her next question. "Do you live nearby, or does Gucci?"

"Both."

She nodded, feeling a little warm at the way he was grinning at her, not so much him, but his eyes, seeming too happy to see her. "Would you care for anything else?"

His smile widened, a flicker of mischief flashing through his eyes. "I'd like to thank you for the pie during the girls' mini-challenge. Very sportsmanlike of you."

She frowned in mock irritation. "That was a mistake."

"I know." He nodded to the bag. "That's it."

She folded over the bag top and pressed the crease sharp. "How did you know I worked here?"

He dug into his jeans pocket, eyes going to the donut prices on the dry erase board behind her. "I've seen you in here other times, before the competition." He placed the money on the counter. "A few other times. Just thought I'd see you in ..." His eyes went over her apron for a moment before moving to her eyes, watching the blush settle pink on her cheeks. "Civilian clothing. Or an apron. Out of cream pie or life vest." He grinned at the blush blooming fuller on her face. "Just a casual hello, Mrs. Team Blue."

Serena nodded, fighting her flush. "Then hello back, Mr. Team Black." She took the money and went to the cash register to make the change.

"Keep it," he said, taking the bag of pastries. He glanced to where Mrs. Miyako was trying to be discreet in her spying at the door window. "Say hi to Mr. Team Blue for me."

Serena found herself nodding as Varner waved and left out the front door to the sidewalk. She watched him disappear through the pink curtains at the window.

Mrs. Miyako came back into the shop front, wagging a finger at Serena. "I know where I've seen him before. He was on the Super Couple show last season."

Serena nodded, wiping her hands nervously on her apron. "He's in this season, too."

"Oh?" The woman's eyes opened wider, frowning. "Oh. Hmm. You have a fan?"

"He's the competition, Mrs. Miyako." Serena smiled, trying to hide her confusion. "I'll go finish that tray of buns."

* * *

**_Who are the next Super Couple? Poll is up!_**


	8. Romeo & Juliet Ultra Challenge

The sunny afternoon of the Romeo and Juliet Ultra Challenge shooting was hot and muggy, the air unmoving as the eight couples remained off-screen of the outdoor field as Parker Bob joked with the audience. Darien stood with Serena, conscious of the ever-present camera that followed the 'behind-the-scenes' interaction of the contestants as they waited, each in team-colored tank tops and shorts. He was also aware of the furtive glances Varner kept shifting toward Serena.

Serena pointed to the challenge course set up in the field, her fingers clutching Darien's arm tightly. "They've got the cameras on that obstacle field," she said, oblivious to Varner's attention. "I hope there's no water course this time, Darien."

He nodded, eyes following hers as applause came from the audience Parker Bob was entertaining. "That guy from Team Black keeps looking at you, Serena," he said as Parker Bob waved the contestants over. Serena and Darien fell into step behind Rei and Chad and the others as they all jogged out to the field. "Any reason why?"

Serena tried not to look as guilty as she felt, her hand in Darien's. "He came into the donut shop yesterday." She read the look of surprise he gave her, feeling somehow culpable and defensive at the same time. "I didn't invite him. He said he and Gucci both lived in the area."

Now Darien's attention shot to Team Black following a few couples behind them. He looked back to Serena. "You spoke with him? What did he want?"

The group of contestants halted as they met Parker Bob in front of the audience seated in the stands. Serena felt Darien's fingers grip hers tighter. "He bought donuts, Darien," she said in a low tone. "That's all."

He wanted to ask more, but the show host was waving the audience to silence so he could explain the next challenge. He wished he'd picked Serena up sooner from her apartment for the show shooting, but he'd had early labs that morning.

He couldn't resist a final query. "Was that it?"

Serena looked to him, eyes turning that hurt soft he hated. "Yes. You know, you're the one that wanted to break-up," she added in a tone barely above a whisper, leaning up to his ear.

He bent lower so his voice wasn't heard by the microphone dangling over the contestants' heads. "We're supposed to be a couple for the show." His hand held hers firmer. "Does Varner know we're not together?"

"I didn't tell him," she said sotto voce.

"Don't."

"Ah, so busy telling love secrets Team Blue is going to miss the Ultra Challenge instructions!" Parker Bob's voice rose, followed by whistles and laughter from the audience in the stands.

Darien and Serena looked away from each other, caught unprepared for the eyes of all the crowd and contestants on them. They both smiled, Serena blushing as a camera zoomed in on her. They turned their attention back to the show taping.

Parker Bob gestured to the obstacle course field behind him and the contestants. "Now we have the couples challenge to find who works best as a team." He looked to the contestants, winking at Mina before turning back to the audience. "I think all our Romeos are strong, but we'll see just how strong, as they race to elope with their Juliets to the Tower of Elopement!"

He swept a hand from the course of rope bridges that spanned two raised platforms to an eighty foot tower that had a series of ladders alongside it half an acre away.

A collective groan came from the contestants as the crowd cheered and banged thunder sticks.

Parker Bob grinned at them, his practiced smile making the daunting task seem inviting. "Each guy will carry his partner piggy-back style across one of the bridges," he explained, pointing to where the rope sixty foot long bridges were anchored to a wooden platform and then to another platform raised fifty feet, "to the next higher platform, and from there you will both take the spiral staircase down to the bottom and head over to the Tower of Elopement."

He shaded his eyes with one hand and made an exaggerated sigh as he looked up at the eighty-foot high wooden tower that rose out of muddy pond water. "Each guy will have to cross one of the pole bridges," he pointed to the narrow four-inch beams that arched the water to where eight thick ropes dangled, "to get to his rope while his lovely lady takes the dock."

Serena sighed at the two foot-wide dock that the host indicated. "Good," she told Darien. "No pole bridge."

He nodded as Parker Bob continued.

"The ladies will climb the ladders on the Tower sides, and pass a baton back and forth to her guy as they reach the floor landings. The first couple to reach the top platform with their batons will win, and get ten points!"

The crowd cheered, banners raised and pompoms shaking as Lita and Ami's voices rose above the noise, calling for Teams Blue, Orange, Purple, and Green in turn.

"So Romeos," Parker Bob said, feigning a serious tone as he looked back to the contestants, "be sure you get to your team color's rope, and ladies, you take your ladder marked with your team color, or you'll be matched up with the wrong partner! Once on the ladder you must climb it, even if it's the wrong color, and sort it out at the next platform when you trade off batons!"

Darien looked to Serena, who was searching for the blue ladder on the base of the tower where a narrow wooden walkway circled. "Are you ready, sweetheart?"

She nodded, eyes following the ladders to the top. "Oh, I hope I don't drop the baton."

"You won't," he said, lacing his fingers in hers. "Just hang on tight."

"One more thing," Parker Bob called pretending to think of something else as his assistant joined him in a tank top and shorts of dizzying rainbow patterns, handing him a bunch of straps. He held up eight team colored Velcro bands. "At the first platform, our Juliets will be tying their Romeos' feet together, just in case this is too easy for some of you. Are you ready?"

The contestants whooped a '_Yes!_', and Parker Bob threw his arm to the first wooden platform of the rope bridges. "Let's go!"

The contestants gathered at the starting line at the edge of the first platform, a rumble of discord going through them as they saw the four rope bridges leading to the next raised wooden platform.

"You see there are only four bridges," Parker Bob called to them gleefully over the microphone in his hand. "No pushing, just running! Now, ladies, on your Romeos!"

Serena put her hands on the back of Darien's shoulders as he bent a little to facilitate her climbing on. She pulled herself up, legs around his hips as his arms came under the backs of her knees. Her arms crossed his collarbone in front of him, face near his as he grinned, looking to her over his shoulder.

"Hang on, Serena," he said, "and no matter what, don't drop the baton when we get to the tower."

She nodded, giggling as his fingers pressed behind her knees. "You're tickling."

He chuckled. "You're lighter. All those sweets you passed up paid off."

"I hope so." She kissed his cheek lightly. "For luck, Darien."

He smiled, eyes dropping to her lips that lingered near. "Remember whose team you're on."

She gave him mock frown. "I saw that Jen giving you the eye the other day."

He shook his head, looking to the bridges ahead as the crowd did their countdown.

"... three ... two ... one!" The starter pistol shot, and eight double couples lumbered across the platform to the rope bridges.

Darien got to one of the swinging bridges first, barely ahead of Chad and Rei, along with Teams Black, Orange, and Yellow. He charged halfway across the rope and plank crossway before it started wobbling dangerously from Rei's pummeling of Chad behind them.

"Settle down, Rei!" the rock star cried, trying to steady them as she tried to urge them on with shouts and indelicate kicks to his legs. "You're going to throw us over!"

Darien clutched Serena harder as the whole bridge keeled to one side and Rei screamed at Chad, who braced them from falling into the safety net below. The incline of the bridge made Darien fall to one knee twice, struggling to keep Serena on his back and get to his feet, her words of support trickling into his ears. They finally reached the other platform, him panting already as he set her down and they dashed to the wide spiral staircase where Tiffany, Brad, Whitney, and Ryan were already ahead of them.

"Move it!" Gucci yelled from behind Serena as Team Black followed. "Losers!"

Andrew and Mina shoved past Gucci and Varner as the teams crowded in a scramble down the spiral case, footfalls echoing until Melvin's voice was drowned out as he and Molly pitched headlong into the safety net at the bridges.

"Oh, Molly and Melvin are down," Mina said with a quick look behind them at the fallen team, Andrew clutching her hand and half dragging her down the stairs.

"Oops! Sorry!" Whitney called as she nearly ran over Serena as they reached the bottom of the staircase and raced the half acre to the Tower. There the partners split off, guys to the pole beams spanning the water to the dangling ropes, girls to the dock.

Serena was third in the rumbling herd of seven girls crossing the dock to the Tower base, smiling as she heard a two-voice chant of _'Team Blue! Team Purple! Team Orange!'_ rise among the roar audience. She reached the narrow walkway at the Tower base and sidestepped around Tiffany to get to the blue ladder.

Climbing was harder than she thought it would be, as the ladder was only a few inches away from the Tower walls, giving her little room to get a good foothold. She hurried up it and reached the first platform as Mina did, both racing to where a team colored dot was over the respective ropes at the side. She grabbed the blue Velcro strap from its hook on a post and looked over the Tower side as Darien appeared, the blue baton attached to his wrist by a cord.

"Oh, good!" she cried, dancing from foot to foot as he reached for her hand and she pulled the rope and him closer to the platform. "A cord!"

"Yeah, good thing, too," he said, stepping onto the landing and putting his feet together as she knelt to wrap the blue band around them. "This is going to make it much more difficult."

"You can do it," she said as he strapped the baton cord over her wrist. "Good luck!"

"You, too." He grabbed the rope and took a good hold on it before swinging back out. "Get going, Serena!"

She ran to the next section of ladder extended from the Tower's outside, hearing a loud cry and a splash as Jen and Matt tumbled off their side of the landing and into the water below.

Serena groaned and took the next flight of the ladder, hearing a sputtering bawl of defeat from the Team Red members. She hastened on, reaching the next platform in good time, finding Darien's rope at the landing edge, and traded off the baton.

And so it went, for three more level, five of the eight platforms, until at the sixth landing, Serena's legs began to feel like jelly and she stumbled crossing the platform. She waited at the Tower side, trying to catch her breath, looking down at Darien climbing hand over hand on the rope, his feet fastened with the blue band, hearing his labored breathing while he was still halfway down. She glanced to where Gucci was heading to her ladder after passing the black baton to Varner, who was just disappearing up his rope at the other side of the platform.

"Come on, Darien!" she cried out, too tired to jump up and down. "You can do it!"

He nodded, twenty seconds passing before he reached her, breathing hard as he took the baton she reached to him and fumbling to attach it to his wrist. "How're you holding up, sweetheart?"

She returned a smile to his tired grin. "My legs are aching."

His grin widened, his hands on the rope sore from gripping. "Two more floors. Get going!"

Serena lunged for the Team Blue ladder, her ankles feeling unsteady, knees threatening to give way. She gritted her teeth and grabbed the ladder rungs and began climbing. A shriek came from her left, and she glanced over to see Mina make a splash into the muddy water below. She climbed on, her legs aching.

It took a little longer for Darien to reach the next platform, and even Varner was late in coming, making Gucci scream like a banshee as he appeared over the side.

"Ugh! Hurry!" she cried, waving him over to the platform impatiently.

Serena watched the brunette girl from Team Black snatch the baton from Varner and race away. Varner looked to Serena, gave her a smile and a wave before continuing his climb up the rope. Serena felt a little guilty as she looked back to her side of the Tower as Darien appeared on the rope.

"How many in front of us?" he gasped, handing her the blue baton.

"Just Black." She slipped her hand through the cord. "Ready?"

"I'll meet you at the top, Serena," he said with exhausted confidence. "Get going!"

She charged for the ladder, her knees wanting to fold as she started the final climb.

At the top of the Tower of Elopement Parker Bob was already waiting, having accessed the back zigzag staircase that was out of camera view. Even so, he was slightly winded, smile on his face, hair somewhat askew as he waited with his stripe-shirted assistant on the Tower top near the big red buzzer that would signal the winner. A cameraman on a boom was lifted to get a wide shot of the final, triumphant moment, and the crowd was still chanting and cheering from their stands in front of the Tower.

Serena reached the top of the Tower to find Gucci and Whitney already there, and Tiffany and Rei stepped over the side seconds after Serena did. They all raced to their respective ropes, looking over and shouting to encourage the weary guys inching up the ropes with the last of their strength.

"Ah, a close race!" Parker Bob said into his microphone, smiling at the cameraman who was nearby, trying to stay out of the way without falling off the platform. "The Juliets are awaiting their Romeos. Who will be the first to elope and get ten points?"

"Darien! Quick! Hurry!" Serena cried, waving him up as he reached the landing. He climbed onto the platform seconds after Varner reached the top on the opposite side. Both sprang for the red buzzer beside Parker Bob, Varner's hand getting there first. The buzzer blared.

"Yes!" Gucci cried, wrapping her arms around Varner's neck. "Yes! Yes!"

Darien sighed, stepping back, his hands on his hips, panting as he watched the jubilant couple embracing. Serena came to his side, her arms around his waist, and he put an arm over her shoulders as Parker Bob raised Varner's arm in triumph.

"The winners! Team Black!"

Varner and Gucci grinned, she separating from him long enough to wave to the stands and cameras, a rabid smile on her face.

When the remaining teams had finally assembled on the platform Parker Bob nodded to each in turn, grinning and pretending to count.

"Ah, no Teams Red, Orange, or Green." He clucked his tongue. "So sad."

Serena sank against Darien, feeling him sigh, his heart pounding in his chest against her shoulder. She looked up to him, smiling. "We were close, Darien."

He nodded, ruffling her mussed hair.

"Ten points to Team Black for the Ultra Challenge win, putting them in the lead with ten points!" Parker Bob said into the camera. "Second place is Team Blue with eight, third is Team Purple with six..."

Serena vaguely heard the rest of the tallies, exhausted and suddenly winded, content with Darien's arm across her shoulders. Parker Bob rattled off his usual send-off, giving the next show's promo. At the end of the shoot Parker Bob pocketed his microphone and congratulated them each, and then told them the next shoot would be in two days.

It took half an hour for Serena to shower and change in the studio's locker room, unable to not overhear some of the grumbling from Whitney and Jen, and Gucci's gloating. Molly was glum, and Rei incensed at her fall. Mina was quiet, except to complain about her aching calf muscles.

Serena agreed with her about the aches, but noticed Mina perked up a little when Andrew offered to take her out for a milkshake in the early evening.

"See you at home," Mina said, smiling despite the soreness in her legs. "I've earned a milkshake today. So have you, Moon."

Serena nodded, and then shook her head. "I'm too tired to eat."

She waved goodbye to Mina and Andrew as they got into his car in the studio parking lot, Darien at her side, half out of support as her legs still felt wobbly.

"Tired?" he asked as they walked to his car among the evening breeze that had drifted in too late to be of help during the competition.

She nodded. "You've got to be exhausted, too. That looked like a lot of work."

He settled his arm around her tighter, feeling her relax against his side, not quite as close as she had when they were a legitimate couple, but as more than a friend. "I know I'm supposed to say it wasn't hard, that it was a piece of cake this afternoon," he said as they reached the passenger side of his car. "But that was tough, Serena. How're you holding up?"

She smiled up at him, the scent of fresh aftershave faint on him. "Okay. Tired."

He nodded and opened the door for her. "You'll be sore tomorrow."

She got into the passenger seat, sitting down too abruptly as a weary ache shot through her backside. She groaned. "I won't be able to move tomorrow."

He grinned and shut the door, then rounded the car and got into the driver's seat. He turned to look at her, her head already leaned against the back of the headrest, eyes closed. "You did good."

"Not good enough," she said with a sigh, opening her eyes to see him in the growing dusk. "At least we're in second place."

He nodded, watching her pull her duffle bag onto her lap as he started the car. "Feel like lunch tomorrow with an old boyfriend?"

She smiled at the amusement playing in his eyes. "Sure. If I can move tomorrow."

He nodded, smiling as he backed the car out of the parking space. "Good."

* * *

_**Who is the best Super Couple? Vote in the poll!**_

**Final Standings after Romeo & Juliet Ultra Challenge:**

Team Black (Gucci and Varner): 10

Team Blue (Serena and Darien): 8

Team Purple (Rei and Chad): 6

Team Yellow (Tiffany and Brad): 3

Team Orange (Mina and Andrew): 2

Team Green (Molly and Melvin): 2

Team Red (Jen and Matt): 2

Team White (Whitney and Ryan): 0

[If I'm wrong, please let me know. :)]


	9. Table for Two

Darien decided on the cafe down the street from the movie theater for lunch the next day, knowing Serena loved the cheeseburgers and crinkle-cut fries there best. He knew she also favored the double chocolate milkshakes, but doubted she'd indulge in one with her stringent diet since they'd been accepted onto the show.

"Oh, I want to eat it all," she said, blue eyes skimming the menu as they sat in the booth against the side wall, their usual spot in the low-key eatery catering to college students on a budget. She sighed, then groaned at the movement.

He chuckled, setting his menu down so he could see her better. "Still sore?"

She nodded, rubbing a hand over her shoulder, face squinching at him. "Who knew climbing a ladder could be such hard work?"

He nodded in agreement, folding the menu. "It wasn't just one ladder."

She smiled, flipping a ponytail end over her shoulder, which made her mutter another groan. "I'll bet you're sore, too."

He sighed. "I have to admit, it's a harder competition than I thought." He watched her look back to the menu. "Your usual?"

She frowned over the binder, contemplating the items. "Yes, I guess so." She closed it. "But no shake."

He took the menu from her as a waitress approached their table. "Come on, Serena. You've earned it. You worked your," he grinned, deciding against his first choice of words, "meatballs off this week and we've got another show to shoot over the next few days. Get a shake."

She shook her head as the waitress paused at their table. "Just a burger and fries."

Darien placed their order, trying again to get Serena to accept a milkshake. She shook her head adamantly, and he had to secretly applaud her willpower. _Another surprise_, he thought. _First no tearful tantrum about their break-up_, _and now she was actually sticking to a diet._

But then it seeped out, just a little.

Her eyes clouded, her fingers playing with the edge of the napkin rolled around her flatware, debating her next words. "Did you really break-up with me for school, Darien? Are you sure it's nothing else?"

He nodded, reaching across the table to rest his hand lightly on hers. "I meant what I said, Serena. You'll have enough stress this fall, and so will I, and it's better to make a little space between us now rather than once classes start."

"But we will get back together, won't we?" She bit the edge of her lip, eyes softening as she looked up to him.

His fingers pressed on hers slightly, the fleeting doubts that he'd had the last few days over their tenuous relationship creeping up on him again. "If you want to. You might find it easier to concentrate on your studies without a fulltime boyfriend."

To his surprise, she gave him a wry smile. "What about a part-time boyfriend?"

He grinned fuller and retracted his hand as their food came. "I'm glad you're okay with this."

Her smile turned more vulnerable, voice less steady. "I'm not, but I'm not going to be a crybaby about it, either."

They both sat back from the table as the waitress set it with their plates and the extra plate of French fries with cheese sauce between them before she left. Across the room someone put tokens in the jukebox and a pop song belted out.

Serena smiled, eyes on the cheeseburger before her, the aroma of it making her hungrier yet. She hadn't starved herself the last few weeks, but giving up sweets had made her realize what a large part of her diet was sugar-laden. She took a whopping bite of the burger, munching as Darien shook his head at her, smiling.

"I've got to say I'm surprised we're in second place," he said, tapping his straw on the table to free it of the paper wrapper. He stuck it in his soda pop as she took another bite of her burger. "We're two points behind the leaders, and they're the runners-up from last season. I think we're doing good."

She nodded fervently, swallowing quickly. "I know someone threw out our dowel in the paddleboat challenge. I'll bet it was Team Black."

He shrugged, extending one of his legs as a cramp threatened his calf muscle, a residual side-affect from the awkward rope climb that had popped up a few times since. He felt it rest against her bare leg beneath the table, making him appreciate the mid-length yellow skirt and white blouse she'd worn that day. She didn't move away, and he let it remain there, not minding if she didn't. "We couldn't prove it."

"I know it was Team Black or Team Red. Maybe even Team White." She waved a French fry at him to emphasize her point. "I heard that Whitney girl talking in the changing room, Darien, and she's rabidly competitive. She even said so!"

He grinned, nodding, watching her eat the fry as he tried to decide the best way to say his next words. He shook his head as she reached for the ketchup bottle and assaulted the fries on her plate with more red sauce. "About Team Red, Serena. We got our new schedules for the next section of labs," he said, watching her pour a mound of thick ketchup next to her French fries. "It's kind of funny, really, with as many students enrolled in the summer labs program, so I guess it's because we requested scheduling --"

"There they are!" Lita cried over the music a few seconds before she and Ami made a beeline for their table. Serena looked to them as Lita bounced onto the bench seat beside Darien before he'd cleared her enough room, grunting when she shoved a hip at him in her haste to sit down.

Ami smiled at Serena and sat beside her. "Second place. How does that feel, Serena? You should be so proud!"

Serena received a lopsided hug from the black-haired girl and a bop on the head from Lita across the table. "Thanks, guys. It's good to be second," she said, giving Darien's half-grin an imploring look.

He frowned a little, glancing sideways at the taller girl beside him that was helping herself to the extra order of fries and cheese sauce. Serena shook her head slightly, eyes dropping back to her plate.

"What did you expect from us?" he asked, nudging Lita with an elbow as she extended her arm over the table for a napkin. "You think we're less than a super couple?"

"Oh, I know you two are," she said, stuffing a fry into her mouth before the cheese sauce could drip off, "but you've got some stiff competition. That couple from last season, Black, they're out for blood this time."

Darien nodded, eyes going to Serena. "Yes, they're definitely the ones to beat." He looked around the cafe for their waitress and waved her over. "Three chocolate milkshakes, please."

The server nodded. Darien looked to Lita and Ami. "Do you want anything else?"

"Oh, no," Ami said. "We didn't come to invade your time, Darien."

Lita shook her head. "Yes, we did. Nothing for me, Darien."

The waitress left, and Serena gave Darien a wary look.

"Before you start protesting," he said, moving his leg nearer to hers beneath the table since Lita's arrival had jarred it away, "I think you owe it to yourself. One milkshake isn't much after what we went through the last few days."

She smiled. "Okay, but you'll split it with me, right?"

He nodded, and was about to say more as Ami took up the conversation, blushing as she changed the topic. "I think that Matt guy from Team Red is so good-looking. He kind of reminds me of Andrew, with his blond hair. At least, from our seat in the stansd."

Lita giggled, shooting glances between Ami and Serena. "Yeah, but I think Matt has eyes for Mina. Did you see the way he kept looking at her when Parker Bob was explaining the Ultra Challenge? It was so obvious!"

Serena frowned, dragging a fry through her pile of ketchup. "I didn't see that. Are you sure?"

Ami nodded in agreement. "I saw that, too, Lita." She turned to Serena. "I think we could see it better from the stands."

Serena nodded slowly, and then looked up with a mixture of anticipation and defeat as the waitress brought a tray of three milkshakes. She placed them on the table and left. Darien scooted one of the tall creamy chocolate beverages to each of the girls.

"Thanks, Darien," a round of choruses echoed, the girls all reaching for a straw.

He nodded, eyes on Serena as she tried to fight her eagerness for the desert. He watched her sink the straw in the shake, put her lips to the end of it and smile, looking to him.

"You're blowing my diet," she accused after a long slurp of the ice cold shake, pushing it to him. "Ah, but I missed these."

"I heard Team Red isn't really a couple," Lita said after draining her shake a few inches. "Isn't that against the rules?"

"I suppose they can't prove any of the coupls are real couples," Ami said, wiping her mouth with a napkin, oblivious to Serena's uneasy glance at Darien. "I know Team Black broke up after the last season; it was even in a gossip magazine."

"Chad and Rei aren't a real couple, either," Lita said, taking another fry from the center plate. "But you know Chad's going to work on it."

"I think they're good together," Serena said, eager to move the topic away from the authenticity of the competing couples.

"Does it even matter?" Ami asked, looking to Darien, who looked to Serena.

"Of course it does," Lita said. "Only the real couples would have a real chance at winning. It's the natural way of things."

Serena tried to keep the frown from her face as she looked at her half-eaten cheeseburger.

"I disagree," Darien said, hoping to lift the sudden droop in Serena's eyes. He decided to hold off on detailing his new lab classmates until later. "What really matters is being able to work as a team."

Lita shrugged. "I guess."

Darien glanced at his watch, sighing as he looked to Serena's disinterest in her lunch. His knee bumped hers under the table and she looked up at him. "I've got class in half an hour. You want to cut out now with me, or stay and debate these two on compatibility issues?"

Serena smiled, mostly because she knew that's what he wanted her to do, grateful he hadn't admitted their current unattached status in front of their friends.

Lita hopped out of the booth to let him out. "She'll stay. We've got strategy to plan, Darien." She put a hand on her hip, the other smoothing her crinkled khaki shorts. "The challenges are only going to get harder."

"She's right," Ami said, nodding. "We see it from the audience's angle, and I must say there are a few flaws --"

"Okay, okay, I'll stay," Serena said with forced levity. She brightened her smile at Darien, deciding to take advantage of their _coupleness_. "Just kiss me goodbye and get on to class."

He grinned at her tactics. He leaned over the table and kissed her lightly on the lips, not pausing as she returned the slight touch.

"That's it?" she said in mock irritation, smiling at the contact, and then even more as she read the unconcealed hesitancy in his eyes.

He patted her head, reminiscent of her junior high days. "See you later, Serena."

He scooted out of the booth and past Lita, who immediately resumed her seat on the cushion. She reached for an unused napkin and looked to Ami. "Do you have a pen?"

Serena watched Darien leave, returning his brief wave as he paid the lunch bill at the counter and went out the cafe door.

"Thanks," Lita was saying as Ami handed her a pen from her purse. Lita sketched a layout of the Super Couple show's obstacle field. "As I see it, Serena, the spots giving you and Darien the most problem are these ..."

Serena turned her attention back to the table as the taller girl spoke. _So much for lunch_, she thought with a sigh.

* * *

**_Super Couple Poll is Up!_**


	10. Ahoy Matey Girls Mini

The next day they were back at the studio for the show's shooting, a few of the sixteen contestants grumbling about muscle soreness and lingering aches, but having recuperated from the Romeo and Juliet challenge, for the most part.

Serena wasn't too sore, not physically, but Darien's news in the car as they drove over to the studio sets had unnerved her. She continued to stare at him, her hurt not quite hidden as they stood at the Olympic size pool at the back lot of the studio where a an enormous wooden cutout painted like a pirate ship was propped to one side.

"I didn't arrange it, Serena," Darien said in a low tone for the fourth time as she stood near him, she in her blue swimsuit and he in a pair of blue trunks. "It's just how the lab schedules got put up, and since we're both in the show I guess the instructor stuck us in the same groupings."

She stood pouting in her swimsuit, hands on her hips as she considered his explanation, forgetting to worry about her figure when contrasted against some of the older, more filled-out female contestants in the hot afternoon. The next segment of labs for the summer had slotted Darien and Jen of Team Red in the same times with four other classmates, and while they weren't partnered up for any labs yet, Serena knew it was just a matter of time. With her luck.

"I don't want you to get her as a partner, Darien," she said just loud enough so he could hear, her frown renewing.

"We haven't been."

"Yet."

"Serena, it's no big deal." He regretted the words even as he said them. "It doesn't mean anything. Just a lab partner. _If_ we get stuck together. There haven't been any arrangements made yet."

"Big smiles!" Parker Bob called to them as he waved the contestants closer to the large pool as three lifeguards dressed in black and white striped swimming trunks positioned themselves around the waters edge. "We're going live!"

"I hope it's a relay swim!" Tiffany said from near Serena, smiling at her. "It's so hot today."

Serena nodded, forcing a smile at the other blonde girl as the sun beat down on them. "Are you a good swimmer?"

Tiffany shrugged, her smile admitting _yes_, her hand tucked in Brad's beside her as they walked to the poolside. He was easily the tallest of the guys, and was looking at the pirate ship backdrop. Tiffany raised an eyebrow at Serena. "Are you?"

"She's an excellent swimmer," Darien said, his arm going around Serena's shoulders as she hesitated answering.

Serena smiled, trying to appear _yes_ without actually saying it. The audience was already filling in the stands set up to one side of the pool, the camera crew positioning the equipment to get the best shots including the ship and pool. Dangling from booms overhead were more cameras and sound equipment meant to catch every sound from the water.

"How deep do you think the water is?" Molly was asking, her eyes on the pool and the colorful floating air mattresses anchored in the center of it as she helped Melvin adjust his glasses goggles.

"Good question!" Parker Bob said, greeting them with a wave as he stood in his black swim trunks, gray tank top, and red necktie. "Welcome, contestants!"

"Hi, Parker Bob!" they called back as the audience shouted its own greeting, thunder sticks banging from the stands.

"Now, today we are going to begin the Ahoy Matey Challenges, starting with the Ahoy Matey Girls Mini Challenge!" Parker Bob said, smiling his best celebrity smile. "Because this is the second challenge of --" He extended the microphone to the audience stands.

"Super Couple Love Note Show!" the crowd sang back, whooping for their contestant favorites.

Parker Bob put the microphone back to himself and looked to the eight couples. "This challenge is for the girls' points. Out in the pool you will see eight floatable air mattresses -- rafts -- one with each team's color. When I shoot the starter pistol, each girl contestant must dive into the pool and swim to her team color raft and climb on. Sound easy?"

The girls all cheered a '_Yes_!'

"Oh, you think it's too easy?" Parker Bob asked hintingly, smiling wider.

"Yes!" the audience called.

"I think so, too," Parker Bob said, waving over his pirate wench attired assistant who carried a milk crate painted with glittery rainbow colors. She stood beside the host, and he picked out one of the large water guns inside. "You can't be outside in the pool without tanning oil, can you, ladies?"

A nervous giggle went through the female contestants.

"No. Now, each guy is to apply a liberal amount of tanning oil to his partner." Parker Bob grinned as his assistant held out her arm and he shot a spray of oil from the water gun at her wrist. "Ooh, looks like slick stuff, doesn't it, guys?"

The male contestants chuckled, nodding as the girls groaned.

Parker Bob nodded. "Each of you guys is to soak your lovely lady with your team color's oil gun. Now make sure to get every leg and arm, every inch of exposed flesh beneath the neck, guys, because if you miss a spot," he said with a disarming smile, "I'll do it myself."

"Not likely," Darien said under his breath, making Serena giggle despite her earlier mood.

"Once our girls are thoroughly oiled, they will line up at their color mark painted on the edge of the pool," the host explained. "When the gun goes off, the girls must swim to their team color air raft and climb aboard. In sixty seconds after the gun, the guys will enter the pool and meet at the rafts, help the lady into the raft if she isn't in already -- without getting onto the raft yourself, guys -- and dive down to unsecure the rope holding the raft in place at the bottom of the pool. Then you will swim back up and climb aboard the raft. The couples must then hand-paddle to the girl's team marker at the pool edge. First girl back gets five points for their team. First guy gets two points."

He waited a moment as some confused murmurs rippled through the contestants.

"Wait a minute," Rei was saying louder than the others. "That means the winning team gets seven points?"

"Five plus two is seven," Chad said with a nod. "Right?"

Andrew leaned closer to Darien. "Something's up."

Darien nodded, his hand tightening on Serena's shoulder.

"Sound fishy?" Parker Bob asked, winking at Whitney in her white swimsuit. "Today we have a change-up. After each girl has gotten oil-soaked by her guy, she will pull a wrist cuff from this bag." His assistant brought out a colorful cloth bag from the milk crate of water guns. Parker Bob took the bag, holding it up for all to see. "Whichever team color wrist band she picks will be her new partner for this mini challenge. Whatever color she gets will work with her for the five points for her team, and two points for his team."

A mixture of sighs and grumbles went through the contestants. Serena looked up at Darien, and then to where Jen was standing with Matt, also watching Darien.

"Jen better not get you," Serena mumbled to Darien as he looked to her.

"You better not get Black," he told her, eyes shifting to where Team Black was trading looks between them.

"Now," Parker Bob said, "let's get these ladies oiled up!"

Applause and hoots went through the crowd, followed by a chant of _"Go Team White!"_ as each guy of the teams found their water gun of tanning oil and stood apart from the others with his partner.

Darien and Serena found a spot between Andrew and Mina and Rei and Chad. Serena held her arms out to her sides as Darien opened fire with the oil gun, grinning as she smiled, blushing slightly.

"This stuff smells good," he said, chuckling as she turned, the almond-scented oil starting to dribble down her legs and arms. He grinned wider as her blush increased. "I kind of like this idea."

She batted a hand at him, taking a careful step as the tile around her got slick. "You wouldn't be able to hang onto me."

"Oh, I could do it," he said, squirting her back just above the seat of her baby blue bottoms.

"That's trickling in," she said, wiping the excess oil away, blushing anew.

"Hey!" Rei cried out, pulling her arm down as Chad lifted it, the water gun in his other hand. "You don't have to do my armpits!"

"He said every exposed piece of skin below your chin, Rei," Chad said as she swiped the gun from him.

"Not _there_. Good grief, Chad," she said, trying to hold the gun away from him as he reached for it, his arms outdistancing hers easily. She nearly toppled over trying to get away, and he caught her in an embrace, grinning as she wiggled in his arms.

"Now, guys," Parker Bob called over the crowd as the chanting died down, "carefully escort your ladies to your team color markers at the poolside, and my lovely assistant will be around for them to draw wrist bands. Every guy will then find his new partner, and we will begin our mini challenge!"

Darien put an arm around Serena's waist as her first step nearly sent her into a heap on the tile. Her bare feet left smudgy oil prints across the poolside, criss-crossing prints from the other girls as they found their markers.

"Look at the size of those," she mused, eyes on a set of footrpints, slipping as they made their way to the blue dot near the pool edge.

He chuckled at the large female footprints that Gucci was leaving as Varner escorted her to the black dot across the pool. "Like a dinosaur."

Serena giggled, standing cautiously on her blue mark, attention going to the blue air mattress marked Team Blue Raft in white letters floating in the center of the pool near the others. She frowned. "I'll never be able to get on, Darien. I'm too slicked up."

He nodded, his arm oiled from his hold on her. "The water's probably over your head to make it more of a challenge, but there are lifeguards at each side." He pointed to the closest one. "Don't worry about drowning."

She scowled, eyes on Jen across the pool where Matt was helping her to the red dot on the tile. "That's not what I'm worried about."

He squeezed her hand, his fingers slipping off hers in the oil. "This is a good look on you, Serena."

She smiled and then looked out to the pool where the eight colorful rafts were bobbing. "However this goes, try to get the two points," she said more somberly.

He nodded. "And you go for the five."

She nodded.

"Okay, ladies," Parker Bob called, a cameraman following him and his assistant as they made their way to the first couple, Team Orange. "We will now draw for your new teammates. First up, orange!"

Mina smiled, looking up at Andrew as she stuck her hand in the bag the assistant offered. She pulled it out, and then did a couple steps of dance as she held up the orange wrist cuff. Her feet slid out from under her, and Andrew caught her before she fell.

"Oh, Team Orange is still Team Orange!" Parker Bob cried out. He and his assistant moved on to the next couple along the poolside.

From there it went, Rei drawing a purple cuff, Jen a yellow and Tiffany a white, oddly, Molly a blue, bringing a sigh from Serena, Gucci Matt's red, Whitney a green, and finally Serena drawing the black cuff.

Darien scowled at the Velcro band, eyes going to where Varner was grinning, already rounding the poolside to Serena, abandoning Gucci.

Darien sighed as the taller guy approached, putting a hand to Serena's shoulder. "Remember we're in this together, Serena," he said.

"I've never forgotten that, Darien," she said, her eyes holding just a touch of sadness. "I'll get us five points, you get us two more."

Her oiled skin was warm and soft beneath his fingers, and he found himself with more than a twinge of jealousy as Varner met them. He looked up at the taller guy, who grinned in return.

"Hey, good luck," Varner said, extending his hand.

Darien tried not to let his feelings interfere. "You, too." He shook his hand, which was just as oiled as his own. He watched Varner take his place beside Serena on the blue mark. She handed him the blue band and he clasped it about his wrist, smiling at her.

"Darien!" Molly yelled, not quite hopping on her green mark at the other side of the pool kitty-corner from the blue marker. "Darien!"

"Bye," Serena said with a smile as he left to join Molly.

"Good luck," Darien said and then jogged over to Molly in her green one-piece swimsuit.

Varner grinned at Serena, eyes flicking over her glistening skin in the sunlight. "Looks like it's you and me, Mrs. Team Black."

She nodded, deciding he had a nice smile. "Looks like. I hope you plan to win this."

"Oh, I do. We will."

They looked back to where Parker Bob was reviewing the challenge rules, his arm raised overhead with the starter pistol.

"Ladies, on your marks!" he cried out, looking around at the eight girls on the spots poolside. His attendant stood nearby, the crate at her feet, her hands over her ears. The pistol fired. "Go!"

Serena dove into the water, slipping a little as she did and landing with an awkward splash that was hip first. She bobbed to the top of the deep water and took a moment to swim to the blue floating air mattress, the white words Team Blue dipping and bowing as she reached it.

She closed one hand on the blue vinyl, her fingers sliding off, slick with oil. She clutched farther into the raft's surface, throwing a leg over the side as shrieks and yelps echoed from around the pool as none of the girls could climb onto the floatables.

She gritted her teeth, fingers squeezing the tight raft surface, trying to grip it better, only to slide back into the water. Within thirty seconds she was exhausted, panting, her hands cramping, winded as she struggled to make another heave onto her elbows, feeling herself slide back again.

A whistle blew, and the guys dived into the water and began their swim to their new partners' rafts. Serena was still struggling at the blue air mattress side, alternately gasping and swallowing water, when Varner met her. He put one long arm over the raft and the other around her waist.

"Lift up," he said, spitting water to one side away from her she made another futile, frantic lunge for the raft.

"I'm too slick," she said, her fingers reaching over the mattress again.

He anchored his arm under her ribs and raised her more out of the water, his hold slipping as she pulled at the raft, one leg finally making it onto the side. She pulled herself up higher with his help, her elbow clipping his chin as she did, bringing a muted '_oof'_ from him.

"I'm sorry," she said breathlessly as she crawled onto the vinyl floatable, his hand pushing the blue of her swimsuit bottoms, making her squeal.

"Keep going!" he said, dodging her other flailing leg as she scrambled on.

Serena sprawled flat on her stomach as she maneuvered to the raft center, hands splaying out to either side, the oil still thick on her palms. She got into a sitting position in time to see Varner disappear under the water's surface. She looked around, spotting Darien pitching Molly's green form onto the lime colored raft across the pool. He glanced her way before diving under the water.

The shrieks renewed around the pool as Andrew's hand slipped and made a more than friendly pass over parts of Mina as he tried to hitch her up higher onto the orange raft, and a bellow of another sort when Chad literally threw Rei _over_ the opposite mattress side in an attempt to push her onto it. Team Purple started over in Rei's quest to commandeer the purple raft.

Varner broke water near the raft side and quickly climbed up beside Serena, grinning at her as she smiled. "Let's get to that blue mark, Serena," he said, pushing her across the mattress.

She slid easily on the vinyl surface, her shins still oiled. "You got it!" She leaned over the side as he did the same on his side, both using the opposite hand to paddle clumsily. The paddling took longer than expected, as there was little real contact with the water, despite their speed and determination. Serena glanced to the other mattresses to her side, seeing the yellow raft with Tiffany and Team White's Ryan making for the yellow marker, and Gucci screaming at Team Red's Matt to paddle faster.

"Faster!" Varner shouted as Serena's shoulder ached. "Almost there, Serena!"

She grunted at her paddling, watching the blue marker on the poolside near. A few seconds later the blue vinyl bounced off the pool edge, Varner's side first. A buzzer sounded, and Serena sat up and looked with astonishment as one of the lifeguards pointed to them.

"Team Blue first!" Parker Bob called out, the microphone squeaking. A roar went up from the crowd, everyone on their feet, thunder sticks banging a deafening beat. "Team Blue!"

Varner put one foot on the poolside as he knelt on the raft, anchoring it to the tiled side, and offered Serena his hand as she crouched on her knees, still sliding, reaching her hand to his shakily. She put her other hand on the poolside, unsteady with her oiled palms, feeling Varner's supportive hand on her elbow, his other clutching hers in a strong hold, as she bungled out of the raft. She stood slowly at the poolside as Parker Bob rushed to them, the cameraman and assistant running to keep up.

"We have a winner! Two winners!"

Serena managed to stand straighter, brushing water that beaded on her oiled legs as Varner made his way out of the raft and to her side. He gave her a grin and took her hand, raising her arm in triumph.

"Team Blue, five points!" Parker Bob announced as the audience cheered and booed in unison. "Team Black, two points!"

"Good job," Varner said to Serena as Parker Bob looked back to the camera.

"Thanks. You, too," she said, smiling back up at him.

He nodded to her swimsuit top, grinning. "You're misaligned."

Serena looked down to see one side of her blue bra was slightly lopsided. She turned her back to the camera view, blushing as she repositioned herself better. Nothing was showing, nothing exposed, but her two-piece top did look a little odd. She turned back around to find him still watching her, amused.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

The rest of the couples had finally reached their pool sides, most making it to the tile surface without incident as Parker Bob thanked the crowd and the cameras zoomed out. A splash was heard at the green marker, and Serena looked there to see Molly resurface in the pool, having miscalculated her departure onto the tiling, and Darien leaning over the water edge to help her out.

"Be careful walking," Varner said as Serena took a hesitant step on the tile surface. "Hate to see you skin those pretty legs. You want some help?"

Serena shook her head, denying the slight blush that warmed her cheeks as she turned away. She carefully stepped among the oily footprints and water on the tiles as Parker Bob's voice rang out across the pool.

"Twenty minutes until guys' mini challenge! Twenty minutes, contestants!"

Darien met her halfway around the poolside, grumblings and complaints from the losing couples drifting across the water. His eyes went over her suspiciously, as if looking for damage. She smiled wider at him.

"Five points!" she said, making a careful hop as he met her.

"Good job, Serena." He put his arm around her waist, eyes holding hers as she braced herself with a sudden slip. His other hand took hers, keeping her upright. "Not too bad working with Team Black?"

She shrugged as they turned and left the poolside for the studio door where the other couples were already heading. "Not too bad, I guess."

Darien glanced to where Gucci was giving Varner an irate earful about her partnership with Matt. He saw the other man's eyes follow Serena's movements, nodding inattentively as the brunette girl spoke. Darien looked back to her. "Not ready to trade me in, are you?"

She giggled, elbowing him slightly in the ribs as he mocked an '_ouch'_ as in front of them Tiffany looked their way while Brad held the stage door. "Not quite."

Darien gave her side a poke that made her poke him back. "You better not."

"Hmph. You're one to talk," Serena said, returning Tiffany's smile as they followed Brad inside.

Darien's arm went tighter around waist, her skin soft with oil as Team Black fell into step behind them. Gucci's complaints raised a notch as Varner's arm caught the door behind Serena and Darien, holding it open as they stepped inside.

Darien's eyes were on the hand, not liking the taller man's proximity, watching as Serena's eyes remained on the other couples in front of them. "Good."

* * *

**__****Who is the best Super Couple? Vote in the poll!**

**Standings after Ahoy Matey Girls Mini Challenge:**

Team Blue (Serena and Darien): 13

Team Black (Gucci and Varner): 12

Team Purple (Rei and Chad): 6

Team Yellow (Tiffany and Brad): 3

Team Orange (Mina and Andrew): 2

Team Green (Molly and Melvin): 2

Team Red (Jen and Matt): 2

Team White (Whitney and Ryan): 0

[_If I'm wrong, please let me know_. :)]


End file.
